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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142201">Klance AU Month (February 2021)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/guavaaajellyfics/pseuds/guavaaajellyfics'>guavaaajellyfics</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Barista Lance, Captain Lance - Freeform, Coffeeshop AU, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Friends to Enemies, Glowing Eyes, High School, High School AU, Internet Friends, Klance AU Month, M/M, Pirates, Reincarnations, Single Dad AU, Single dad Keith, Soulmates, Theater AU, Transformers AU, actor lance, con-artist lance, exes klance, hints of romellura, implied sexual content in day 14, just a smidge of angst, kind of, klance, mermaid au, mermaid keith, sound tech keith, thunderpike, thunderpike au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:07:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>47,418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142201</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/guavaaajellyfics/pseuds/guavaaajellyfics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of my fic entries for Klance AU Month February 2021.</p><p>Day 1- Movie AU<br/>Day 5 - Mermaid AU<br/>Day 6 - Pirate AU<br/>Day 7 - Internet Friends AU<br/>Day 14 - Soulmates AU<br/>Day 15 - High School AU<br/>Day 18 - Thunderpike AU<br/>Day 21 - Theater Actors AU<br/>Day 22 - Coffeeshop AU<br/>Day 23 - (coming soon)<br/>Day 25 - (coming soon)<br/>Day 26 - (coming soon)<br/>Day 27 - (coming soon)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Lance (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Day 1: Movie AU (Transformers AU)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This prompt is just a little scene I've always thought would be funny for Klance to be in. This scene is a snippet from the first Transformers movie. I wish I could've done more with this scene, but I kinda ran into a block. Still, I wanted to put my entry out there, so hopefully, my next entries would turn out much better than this one. I also tweaked the scene a little bit.. Just a tiny, tiny bit.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Transformers AU</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Lance finally got a new car. That was all he wanted for the past few months. He had saved up enough money and made a deal with his dad that if he were to get A’s on his report card, he would get a car. Lance made sure to uphold his end of the deal, even going as far as embarrassing himself in front of the whole class and negotiating with his teacher to bump his grade up just a bit more to get an A.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, it was worth it. He finally got the car. It was an old blue Camaro from the second-hand shop, but Lance was more than satisfied. Nothing a few modifications couldn’t fix.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He drove it to this outdoor party to show off his new set of wheels, and maybe earn some brownie points. Only, things didn’t go exactly as planned. The moment he got there, Lance and his best friend, Hunk, were tormented by Lotor, the school’s “alpha male”, whatever that meant. He was grateful things didn’t escalate due to the intervention of Keith Kogane, Lotor’s boyfriend or more like glorified arm candy. The way Lotor treated and spoke to Keith was more than insulting as he made it clear just how little he thought of Keith and making him walk away in a moment of disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance was quick to jump back into his car, drive after Keith, and offer him a ride, to which Keith reluctantly accepted. They engaged in a small and awkward conversation which seemed to be leading nowhere when all of a sudden, the car started sputtering and drove itself over to a lookout point. Lance frantically tried to explain that it wasn’t what it looked like, but Keith simply tied his long hair up and got out of the car, instructing Lance to open the hood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked into the engine, trying to analyze the problem. On the other hand, Lance was more than distracted by the way Keith, his lifelong crush, was bent over his car with his shirt slowly hiking up his waist and exposing a bit of skin there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got a high rise double pump carburetor. That's... that's pretty impressive, Lance.” Keith remarked, impressed at how the engine seemed quite advanced for such a beat up car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Double pump?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It squirts the fuel in so you can go faster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance stared dumbly at Keith, hypnotized by the way Keith propped himself against the open hood. “Oh… I like to go faster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith reached in to adjust a certain part as he added, “And looks like your, uh… your distributor cap is a little loose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’d you know that?” Lance asked, now interested at what Keith had to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, my dad. He was a real grease monkey.” He replied, a fond smile playing on his lips for a moment. “He taught me all about this. I could take it all apart, clean it, put it back together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clearly, there was more to Keith than meets the eye and Lance was quick to pick up on that. For years, Keith was known as Lotor’s boytoy and nothing more. Lance would be lying if he said he didn’t think that either before, but in that moment, he realized that the way everyone perceived Keith was so muddled by the persona he presented and the people he hung out with that there was so much about him that was yet to be discovered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s weird. I wouldn’t peg you for a mechanical.” Lance was stunned. Keith apparently had both beauty and brain, and it marvelled him to no extent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith shrugged, looking back at the engine once more. “I don’t really broadcast it. Lotor hates it when someone knows about cars more than he does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t mind it if someone did. I’d prefer it actually.” Lance added quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to find anything to say to that, Keith asked Lance if he could start up the car again, but to no avail. No matter how many times Lance turned the key in the ignition, the engine wouldn’t budge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I was thinking…” Lance couldn’t help but ask, now fully invested in just what else Keith may be hiding beneath that facade. “If Lotor is such a jerk, why do you hang out with him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This struck a sore spot for Keith. It was something he wasn’t exactly fond of talking about and decided he had enough. He just needed to get home and away from the topic, the car, everything. He just needed to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith took a deep breath, pushing off from the hood as he tried to mask the discomfort on his face. “You know, I’m just gunna walk.” He headed over to grab his bag from the passenger’s seat and slung it over his shoulder. “Good luck with your car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance, unsure of what to do next, simply blurted out, “Alright. Walking is healthy, right?” But the moment Keith walked away, Lance quickly hopped in the car, desperately trying to start the car again and again, hoping he could get it to work before Keith was too far. To his surprise and relief, the engine rumbled to life and Lance made quick work of closing the hood, getting back in, and catching up to Keith. He did ignore the song that was playing on the radio which was uncannily hit a little too close to home regarding his current situation with trying to go after Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A light smile formed on Keith’s lips as Lance drove over to him, calling out to him to offer him a ride once again. And honestly, Keith didn’t mind getting back in the car with Lance. Little did either of them know that this was only the beginning of their mishaps together with the car, and that trouble lurked around the corner for in the days to come, they were to discover that Lance’s new car was actually a robot from outer space and that there were more of them, both good and bad. And little did they know that they actually would make a pretty great team together. It would only take an encounter with intergalactic beings for them to realize that.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day 5: Mermaid AU (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lance, upon returning home to his family, finds a peculiar creature on the beach. Something draws him to it. Of course, trouble always follows him, but where will this trouble lead him this time?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my day 5 entry for Klance AU Month. I was inspired by the K-drama "Legend of the Blue Sea". Go watch it if you're interested. It's a good one!!</p><p>My Klance AU Month Day 2 entry is one of my fics Manifest Disinterest. You can go give it a read if you'd like!</p><p>You can also check out my Day 3 and 4 entries on Instagram. My IG handle is @guavaaajellyart. I hope you enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lance slipped his shades off as he reached the airport lobby, eyes roaming till he caught sight of his friends. Pidge was already there, hood over their head and nose in their phone, tapping away at what Lance guessed was a game. After all, if Pidge wasn’t hacking, they were playing games. Hunk on the other hand was already eyeing the food stalls, eager to grab a bite already. Lance couldn’t blame him, he was practically famished as well. Especially after their last job.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, headed back to Varadero, huh?” Hunk asked, leaning against his own luggage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance shrugged as he showed his plane ticket to Hunk. “Yeah. First time in, like… seven, eight years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s your excuse going to be for not showing up after all this time?” his best friend teased, handing the ticket back to Lance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you know.” Lance snickered, giving Hunk a playful shove. “College, then work, then maybe more work. I’ll figure it out. You know I always do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Running your mouth is all you’re good at anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance and Hunk turned to the source of the comment, Pidge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pidge pocketed their phone and was now wearing their headphones. They were naturally snarky, but that was their way of showing affection. Besides, they weren’t always sarcastic. Pidge could be sweet when they needed to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> my job, Pidge.” Lance chuckled, pulling out his phone to check once more if the transfer was successful. Once the confirmation came in, Lance nodded to Pidge, who instantly got the message and took it as a sign to grab their bags, then gave the two boys a little wave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give your parents all my love.” Hunk said, waving back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And tell Matt he owes me, like… fifteen thousand for the damage he did to my car.” Lance chided in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pidge simply laughed softly, giving the two a light bump to their shoulders before going off to their assigned terminal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Pidge was out of sight, Lance looked at his phone for the confirmation for Hunk's cut and gave him a nod as well. They both went in for a tight hug, wishing each other well before grabbing their stuff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll see you at the next job, buddy. Whenever that may be." Hunk zipped up his jacket and adjusted the straps of his backpack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance gave him a small wink as he pulled up the handle to his luggage. "Soon, I hope. Keep me posted, big guy. Send my regards to your family."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Same with yours. Bye, Lance."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that, they parted ways. Hunk was off to his home in Hawaii and Lance to Cuba. While Pidge and Hunk visited their families regularly, Lance could never really find the time nor the courage to see them again in person. His life as a con-artist wasn't exactly one he could brag about to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and his two college friends, Hunk and Pidge, would manage to swindle rich people for cash. Sometimes, they were hired by even richer people to do some inside work for them. Whether it would be sabotaging business transactions by convincing these people to take a wrong move or finding blackmail material that could get their targets to do what they need, Lance and his friends got it done. Not to mention, they got paid heavily for their work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It started off as a small side hustle in college, which eventually grew larger than any of them ever dreamed of it being. Now Lance practically lived in a luxurious place at a discreet location and owned around twenty cars, each used for a different job. Despite it all, Lance has managed to lay low and to not draw much attention to himself. He needed to evade the police after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment the plane landed, Lance had to mentally prepare himself to face everyone again. It had been so long since he'd seen them, so it was going to be tough. He's conned some of the richest and most famous people out there, but lying to his own family would be the hardest thing he could possibly do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lance!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lance, over here!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance didn't need them to call him twice. Basically almost his entire family had come to pick him up from the airport, so they were honestly hard to miss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jogged over to them, welcoming their tight hugs which practically squeezed out all the air  from his lungs. His siblings each took their turns wrapping their arms around him, ruffling his hair, and even pinching his cheeks. Not that Lance minded though. It had been so long since he last saw them, he was more than eager to bask in the way they smothered him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance’s parents were the last to come up to him. His dad gave him a long hug, telling him just how much he missed him, while his mom was much more emotional. She was all teary-eyed, holding his face in her hands and peppering his cheeks with kisses as she went on and on about how much he’s grown and how handsome he turned out, which may or may not have inflated his ego a bit more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My baby boy is all grown up now." his mom said with a sniffle, squeezing cheeks together affectionately. "My Lance."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, he’s grown, alright. Grown fatter." his sister, Veronica, teased as she wrapped an arm around Lance's shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance couldn't help but roll his eyes, bumping Veronica with his hip, "And you’re still short, I see."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And you two are still rascals, I see." his dad chuckled, patting them both on the back lovingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ride home was even livelier. Lance and his siblings were all crammed inside the van, their voices louder than the music that played as they sang their lungs out and bickered over basically everything. Lance couldn’t be happier to finally be back home after all this time. Everything was a little different, but felt the same all together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon arriving home, Lance’s brothers helped him with his luggages while the rest rushed in to set the table. The excitement made all of them quite hungry and there was nothing that set the mood for a reunion like a big meal. The smell of home warmed him from the inside out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The celebration lasted for about three days. Relatives from different towns came over to visit and join in the festivities. They got him to talk about his life in the big city, and just like Lance said to Hunk, he managed to talk his way and charm everyone into thinking that he was just a businessman and lived a busy life. Though it left a sour taste on his tongue. He wasn’t proud that he had to lie, but he just couldn’t own up to the truth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Lance found the time to head over to the beach by himself. As much as he enjoyed the comfort of his family, he wanted to visit his little safe haven, the one he claimed for himself ever since he was a kid. Home was where the heart was, and half of it was there by the shore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a small cove that was concealed from the rest of the beach, divided by a high rocky wall which had a tiny gap hidden by some large boulders. Lance had always managed to squeeze through the opening, even now. His slender build still allowed him to crawl through, although his shoulders were much broader than the last time he was there so he did struggle a bit more than before. He’d have to find another way to get across next time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance settled onto a rock, low enough for him to dangle his feet into the water but high enough that the gentle sway of the waves couldn’t reach the rest of him. As Lance looked up at the sky, he could see the sun setting, painting the sky in shades of red and yellow as if the clouds themselves were on fire. Lance took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. The scent of the sea filled his lungs and he felt more like himself. The world felt whole for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just a moment, which was ruined by a loud splashing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked over to where the splashing was and saw a large fin slapping against the surface of the shallow water. Lance rolled his pants up his shins, right below his knees before stepping into the water. He waded over to the fish, hoping it wasn’t a shark. Though from what he studied in college about marine biology, the size, shape, and color of the fin suggested that it was most definitely a shark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he drew closer and closer, he could see a human hand grabbing and pushing at a rock. Panic washed over him as he feared someone was in danger and being eaten by said shark. He instantly grabbed at the tail and tugged it only to find himself in an even stranger predicament.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the actual fuck?!” Lance yelped, letting the fin go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was frozen in shock, unsure of what to do or what to think. His eyes trailed over and over again at where the scales merged with human flesh, still not believing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, the bottom half was that of a shark’s tail, but the other part was that of a human’s upper torso.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance could also see there were slits which resembled gills on its sides where its ribs were. The creature’s hands were webbed with sharp nails that etched scratches onto the rock it clung on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked higher to see dark hair that went all the way down to its shoulders, the same slits were found on its neck. Its lips were pulled back into a snarl, revealing a row of pointed teeth. Despite the presence of gills, there was still a human nose, taking deep breaths.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Lance locked eyes with the creature. Its eyes were human-like, with iries that were a bright purple, staring back at him with caution and fear. As bizarre as it sounded, Lance was somewhat mesmerized by the creature’s eyes, by the creature itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s only ever heard stories of mermaids, but they were all fairy tales. Bedtimes stories told to kids. Lance could swear he was dreaming. However, the hiss that it let out pulled him back to reality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey… I didn’t mean to scare you or anything…” he spoke softly, unsure of what he should be saying. He was sure he sounded ridiculous, but then again the whole situation was ridiculous. There was no way mermaids were real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet, there it was. A mermaid. Lance grabbed it by its tail and it was just as real as him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It laid still, unmoving as it watched Lance intently. It clearly felt threatened, so Lance didn’t move either. He did his best to assess the situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mermaid was obviously beached and pressed up against some tall rocks, but it didn’t seem to be lodged against or between anything. Plus the open and deeper waters weren’t so far out of its reach. So, Lance felt like it should have no problems whatsoever getting back into the water. Yet it didn’t make any move towards the ocean.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He then noticed that the mermaid was pulling itself backwards, towards land. Lance frowned with curiosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Don’t mermaids belong in the water? Why was it trying to go up the shore?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>he wondered to himself, trying to figure out the problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the webs on its hands started sloughing off, leaving its fingers bare and much more human-like. The dark colored nails slowly started fading into a lighter color, but still just as sharp. Its shoulders were turning from a pale grey color with a tint of blue to something much more rosy, though still light and pallid. And it wasn’t just with the shoulders. Areas on the mermaid’s that seemed drier were slowly turning more and more pinkish and vibrant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. Lance climbed over to the rock behind the mermaid. The creature was still snarling at him but still made no move whatsoever. It craned its neck over its shoulder to glance at Lance, teeth still bared and eyes still full of caution. Slowly, Lance reached down to which it responded with slowly parting its jaws, the soft hiss growing louder and more hostile. Lance froze for a moment, showing his hands to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look… I’m not gunna hurt you. Just… Let me.” He wasn’t sure if the mermaid understood him, but it seemed to calm down a bit at the gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance reached out once again, his fingers finally brushing against the soft and smooth skin of its sides. The mermaid flinched and reached up to scratch at Lance’s forearm. He yelped in pain, withdrawing his hands and cradled his wounded arm. He looked up at the mermaid, thinking of just running away instead, but saw panic and worry in its eyes. Its expression was no longer aggressive, no longer hissing at him. The mermaid withdrew its hands as well, its snarl now gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Lance was really confused. It had been hostile towards him, but now it was as if it hadn’t meant to hurt him. He stared at the mermaid a little while longer, searching for answers in its eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Lance reached out again, taking another chance on the mermaid. He reached under its arms and pulled it up towards him on the rock. Lance wobbled for a moment, but quickly found his balance. Once he was sure the mermaid was properly seated on the boulder, he reached for its bottom half, gently grasping onto its tail and pulling it over to the other side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, it was fully on the shore. By the look on its face, this was exactly what it wanted to do. The more its upper torso dried up, the more it looked like an actual human. Its teeth started withdrawing, revealing a row of blunt teeth behind them. The slits on its sides and neck flattened out and sealed off, leaving no trace of openings there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tore his eyes from the mermaid before him to look down at the gashes in his arm. The wounds weren’t deep, just enough to have broken the skin. He figured it would be enough to wash it and douse it with alcohol then bandage it. He could probably say that he was scratched by a cat if anyone asked. It’s not like anyone would believe him if he told them he met a mermaid. He already felt crazy, might as well avoid looking crazy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked over at the mermaid to see it reach out to him, hand hesitantly outstretched towards him as if it wanted to touch him. He wasn’t sure what it wanted, but he didn’t pull away either. He kept his eyes on the creature’s fingers as they slowly wrapped around his wrist. The mermaid’s touch was gentle, but Lance was still wary nonetheless as the mermaid tugged at his wrist, pulling his arm closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It carefully examined Lance’s injury, running its other hand up Lance’s forearm. The brush of its fingertips were feather-light, almost as if its hand was simply hovering above his skin. Lance was so enraptured in the way the mermaid caressed him that he was unable to process the mermaid’s head dipping onto his arm. He did however feel it run its tongue over his cuts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Hey! What the fuck?!” Lance yanked his arm back in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mermaid only gave him a puzzled look in return. Lance felt a slight buzzing in his arm and his eyes instantly darted down to the scratches. It felt so surreal, but they started sealing themselves off. The skin mended till there wasn’t even a single mark on his forearm. Lance wanted to scream, but the sound died in his throat as he felt the buzzing travel up to his head and in an instant, his vision went black.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear a voice, speaking softly to him. It sounded far away, but he could hear it nonetheless. The words were unintelligible, but the person sounded sad. There was longing in their voice, longing and sorrow. Lance listened closely, hoping he could catch what they were saying.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please...”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Please what?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“... promise...”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Promise what?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Leandro…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>When Lance opened his eyes again, the sky was dark, save for a few stars and the moon. He sat up, mind still processing what had just happened. He realized that he was still on the cove and remembered that there was a mermaid on the shore with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked around frantically to see if the creature was still there with him. When he looked behind him, he came face to face with a person. He didn’t recognize them at first, but it clicked after a moment that it was the mermaid. However, it no longer had a tail but rather, human legs. The only strange thing that remained of it was its nails that were still quite long and sharp, and also the fact that it was stark naked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance quickly averted his eyes, looking anywhere else but at the mermaid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re… you’re still here.” Lance huffed as he remembered that it didn’t speak. He figured that trying to talk to it was pointless. So, he fell silent again, thinking of what he should do next.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could not leave you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance’s head snapped quickly as he turned to look at the mermaid behind him. Its voice was soft, but he still heard it as clear as day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just… talk? Like… You can talk?” he rambled. “I thought you didn't talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is rude.” the mermaid crossed its arms. “I can talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you didn’t talk earlier.” Lance rubbed at his temples furiously. “What the fuck is going on with me? I came home and now I’m talking to a mermaid. What is happening? Why is this happening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mermaid looked at him weirdly, as if he was crazy. Well, Lance felt like he was crazy at the moment. Now that everything had finally sunk in, he finally came to terms with just how bizarre this was. He probably should have ran the moment the mermaid scratched at him. No, he should have ran the moment he saw it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I apologize, but my kind does not talk to those we do not trust.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you trust me?” Lance laughed incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It nodded in reply. “I do. You helped me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance only spiraled further into his mental breakdown. This was insane, and yet it was happening. He hoped it was a dream, but he knew deep down that it wasn’t. He finally decided that he had enough. He no longer wanted any part of this. Lance came to the conclusion that he should just get up, leave the cove, and pretend that this was all some strange lucid dream. He got up to leave, and the mermaid stood up with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I have to go. I already helped you and you… you, uh… licked my arm. So, now we’re even. Good luck with everything you want to do.” Lance said as he awkwardly patted its bare shoulder. “So, yeah… Goodbye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance trudged off, walking as fast as he could, only to be stopped by the mermaid calling out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He refused to turn around, but before he took another step further, the mermaid jumped in front of him, causing Lance to stumble backwards and fall on the sand. He looked up, but quickly looked away from the mermaid’s naked form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please. I have nowhere to go. I have no clothes or money. Nothing. You must help me.” it pleaded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance groaned, rubbing his face and standing up once again, getting more and more frustrated. This was something he really didn’t think he’d be spending his vacation doing, yet here he was. Talking to a naked person who was a mermaid who was also asking him for help. He wasn’t one to just run a charity case, so just helping people out of the blue was really something he didn’t invest his time in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, when he looked at the mermaid, their eyes meeting once again, Lance couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity for it. There was that look of hopelessness and desperation in them, begging for an ounce of sympathy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will repay you. I promise. Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance sighed, running his hand through his hair. He knew he was going to regret this in the future, but he figured that he’s already gotten himself this far into this mess. Might as well get himself out of it with a clean conscience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Let me just… get the spare clothes from the car. Wait here.” he walked off to the cove’s little passageway, wiggling his way through and jogged over to his car parked not so far off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he opened the door to the passenger’s seat and began rummaging through his duffel bag, he realized he could just drive off. He could close his bag, get in the car, and leave. He didn’t have to go back with clothes. He didn’t have to go back to the cove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he remembered the first words that the mermaid spoke to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I could not just leave you here.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance cursed to himself as he zipped the bag, spare clothes in his hand and jogged back to the cove. He squeezed himself through the opening again and finally returned. He found the mermaid perched on a rock, staring off into the distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Here. I’m not sure if they’ll fit, but they’re all I have right now.” Lance said, handing the clothes to it. “You… do know how to put these on, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mermaid laughed. The sound filled Lance with an unfamiliar warmth. It was such a beautiful sound, echoing around the empty cove. Lance forced himself to snap out of it. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to be attracted to a </span>
  <em>
    <span>mermaid</span>
  </em>
  <span> of all things. Mermaids weren’t even supposed to be real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I do. I was taught the ways and language of your kind before coming here. We are not savages.” It carefully slipped the shirt on and pulled the swimming trunks on. The clothes were a little large on it, but it still looked much more decent than being butt naked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought of different inns or lodgings that he could let this mermaid stay at. There were a few cheap places he knew, but remembered that the people that owned these places were close family friends. He’s even seen a few of them over the course of the past few days. It would be tricky to show his face there. Word spreads fast and if Lance were to be seen at a motel with some person, no lie in the world could possibly get him out of the insanity that was his family. They’d make such a big deal about it and he’d be in bigger trouble than he could ever think. It was better he took a more discreet approach, though riskier, but discreet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Lance noted, still reeling from just how bizarre it all was. “Okay. You can stay over at my house for the night. It’s kinda late, so I can probably sneak you in. But you gotta leave by tomorrow morning. You got that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mermaid nodded at him, grateful and eager to be leaving the cove. Lance let out a deep sigh once again then gestured for it to follow him. He led it through the gap in the rocks and over to the car. He helped it into the passenger seat before getting in as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, you gotta do as I say, alright? If you won’t, I won’t help you anymore.” Lance added as he started the car, looking over to the mermaid expectantly only to find it looking around with fascination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, did you hear what I just said?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It snapped out of its daze and nodded. “Yes. I will do whatever you want me to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great.” Lance muttered to himself, driving out of the beach and towards his house. “I have a mermaid in my car. I have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>mermaid </span>
  </em>
  <span>in my car. A fucking mermaid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he pulled up to the house, Lance could see that all the lights were off, which was good news of them. He wordlessly stepped out of the car and opened the car door for the mermaid. He put a finger to his lips, signaling for it to stay silent then reached over to hold its wrist. He carefully pulled it along, closing the car door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance thought about bringing it through the front door, but figured that that would be a bad idea. With his siblings home for the summer, some of them were probably passed out on the couch and bringing the mermaid through the front door might wake them up. So, Lance pulled it around to the back of the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He peeked through the kitchen window and when he saw that the coast was clear, he fished for his key and silently opened the back door. He continued to pull the mermaid along through the kitchen and up the stairs. From where they passed, he could see some siblings asleep on the couch. He knew he made the right call to pass through the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Getting to his room was even harder. He knew that if he was not careful, their footsteps would resonate throughout the house. Lance practically tiptoed his way through the hall, the mermaid behind him imitating his movements. The trip to his room seemed longer than it normally would, but eventually, they got there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance shut the door behind him as gently as he could and locked it for good measure. The moment he figured they were in the clear, Lance exhaled deeply, realizing he was holding his breath for quite a while now. After taking a moment to relax, Lance made a beeline over to his bed and crouched down to pull out the spare mattress from underneath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you’ll be sleeping here tonight. You gotta leave by dawn, though. My </span>
  <em>
    <span>mama</span>
  </em>
  <span> wakes up early and if she sees you, I’ll be in big trouble.” Lance sighed, grabbing a pillow and setting it on the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned to see the mermaid looking around the whole room. It was staring at every surface scrutinizingly, trying to understand just what was around it. Lance felt his chest clench at the thought of the mermaid wandering around, lost and confused. He frowned inwardly at that reaction. After tonight, the creature was none of his responsibility. He’s already done enough. This alone would get him into such a mess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey. Were you listening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mermaid turned to him, nodding. It walked over to him and Lance made way for it to settle onto his bed. It carefully sat down on the bed, looking at the pillow and the blanket with a worried look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it now?” Lance groaned, noticing the discomfort on its face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It lifted its hands, showing its sharp nails. The same ones that scratched Lance’s arm. He realized that it was worried about accidentally ripping the fabric with its nails. They may be human-like in color, but they were still sharp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked down at his arm. Though there were no marks on there anymore, it was as if he could still feel the gashes on his skin. He sighed deeply, heading to his drawer to retrieve a nail cutter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He showed it to the mermaid and asked, “Do you know how to use this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It shook his head and Lance sat beside it, taking one pale hand in his. He froze for a moment, the soft skin sending that same hum of warmth through his own skin despite being quite cold to the touch. He mindlessly began stroking its palm with his thumb, tracing along the lines on its hand and up towards its fingertips. He was instantly snapped out of his trance the moment he reached those pointed nails.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance rubbed at the bridge of his nose with his free hand out of frustration, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>happening. He was not enchanted by some sea creature that wasn’t even supposed to exist. He won’t let himself be carried away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gently, he took one of its fingers and started clipping away. He cut it till the nail was at an appropriate length, just short enough that the mermaid wouldn’t hurt itself or anyone else. Lance did the same with all its other nails. When he glanced over to its toenails, afraid that he’d have to trim those as well, a wave of relief washed over him upon seeing them short and neat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance handed the nail cutter to the mermaid, placing it in its palm. “Here. Just in case you’d need it again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got up, taking his jacket off and throwing it over his desk chair then turning the light off. As disgusting as it probably was, Lance decided to just sleep in his current clothes. Sure, there was sand and whatever else clung to him from the beach, but he found it weird to be changing with a creature in the room with him. He figured he could just change the sheets the next day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sleep. You’ll need it when you get out of here tomorrow.” he huffed, climbing onto his bed. Before he slipped under the covers, he tugged his jeans off and flung them to the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time passed, yet Lance still couldn’t fall asleep. So many thoughts occupied his mind, repeating and repeating the same question, but with no answers to each one. He was spiralling downwards in his own mind, hoping that drowning in it would help him fall asleep. However, his existential crisis was halted by a soft voice from the mattress on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance shut his eyes, trying to just ignore the question. He tried to pretend that he heard nothing from the mermaid’s mouth, but his voice worked by itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could feel its grin from where he laid. The image flashed in his head, etching itself to the back of his eyelids. The way its lips were pulled back into a mesmerizing smile. With that memory, the sound of its laugh replayed over and over again in Lance’s mind. It rang delicately, filling a void in him he thought was filled a long time ago. He opened his eyes to stare at the wall instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is a beautiful name.” it whispered, the adoration in its voice was unmistakable. “Could you help me give myself a name? My true name cannot be spoken in the human language.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance scoffed, turning over onto his side to face the wall. “I suck at naming. Maybe call yourself... Keith or something. I don’t know. Anyway, go to sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could swear he heard the mermaid mutter something under its breath, saying a few things in a language he couldn’t understand, but he chose to ignore it. He’s had enough of this craziness to last him a lifetime. Tomorrow, this will all end and he could pretend it was all a dream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance closed his eyes once again, hoping maybe this time sleep would overtake him. His body, however, protested. He didn't feel an ounce of fatigue. He laid like that for what seemed like a few seconds, but when he opened his eyes, he was taken aback to see light pouring in through the curtains. He bolted upright, surprised that time had passed. He must’ve blacked out, but it felt like time didn’t pass. He looked over to the spot on the floor and saw the mermaid still there, asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed his phone from his pocket, checking the time. It was almost seven in the morning. His mom was most likely to be awake at this time. Getting the creature out would be much more challenging than he planned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hissed a few curses and got off the bed, crouching beside it. He shook its shoulder, frantic to wake it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on! We overslept! We have to go now!" his whisper-shouted at it as it slowly got up, rubbing the sleep from its eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance rushed to grab his pants and slipped them on. The mermaid was already up and alert, waiting for Lance to be ready. Once he looked decent enough, Lance headed over to the window and looked out. He saw a ledge and some areas they could use to climb down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning to the mermaid, he asked, “Do you know how to climb?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Not really.” it shrugged, looking much too calm. Then again, it wasn’t aware of the trouble Lance would be in if his mom caught them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” he opened his window. “You’re going to have to learn right now. Come on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in that moment, a knock came from the door. Lance felt his blood freeze. He thought if he kept quiet, then whoever knocked would go away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance, I know you’re awake. I heard you open your window.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of all people, it just had to be his mother. She was the hardest to escape from in the house. Lance muttered a few curses under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard that, too. Lance, you must go down and eat breakfast. Everyone is at the table already.” she said from the other side of the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance, panicking, was thinking of all the ways to sneak the mermaid out, especially now that his </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire</span>
  </em>
  <span> family was awake. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be right down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mijo</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you come downstairs right now. I know you’ll just go back to sleep.” she argued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t! Just let me… let me change.” he grabbed the mermaid’s wrist, searching for a place to hide it in just until he could sneak it out again. He dragged it to his closet, gesturing for it to go inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is someone in there with you?” his mom asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! No one, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mama</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Just go downstairs ahead.” Lance shoved at the mermaid as clambered into the closet. “Let me just change!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance, open the door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m changing!” He was really struggling to get the mermaid to fit inside the closet with all the drawers and the clothes piled up inside it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. I’ll wait till you’re done then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just go downstairs! I’ll be right there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think you’re changing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mijo</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Open the door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Uno.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” If his mother started counting, he was in deep shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dos.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Any number after one was already a terrible, terrible sign. Lance bolted to the door, unlocked it and opened it. He had successfully shut the closet door and figured it was safe to open his bedroom door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mama</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” he chirped, face flushed from the whole struggle of hiding the mermaid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She eyed wearily, still not buying his words, then peeked over his shoulder and into the room. She noticed the spare mattress on the floor with a pillow and a blanket instantly, but said nothing of it. It was when she looked at the closet and noticed a piece of cloth peek out from the bottom of the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ay, mijo</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Did you make a mess of your clothes again?” she sighed, walking towards it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance felt his stomach drop, trying to get her away from it. “Ah, yes. I think I just dropped a shirt. I’ll fix it later, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mama</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Come on. Let’s have breakfast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, you know I can never settle till I fix the clutter.” she chuckled, shaking her head fondly, drawing closer to the one place Lance wanted her to stay away from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t even see it anyway! Come on, let’s just--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mom opened the door and a bunch of clothes that he piled on the mermaid spilled out and onto the floor. She shrieked a string of curses, and Lance wanted to pass out at that moment. He began regretting everything he’s ever done and wanted to just jump out the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance Serrano-McClain, you said that no one was here!” she glared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, well--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this your boyfriend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! I--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She completely ignored Lance and turned to the awkwardly-positioned person on the closet floor. “What’s your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith. My name is Keith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance wanted nothing more than to just evaporate. It would be less terrifying to just disappear off the face of the Earth right then and there than have to deal with this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Keith. Lance never spoke about you.” she turned to continue glaring at her son. “Why were you hiding him, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Mama</span>
  </em>
  <span>, don’t assume. You don’t know if Keith goes by ‘he/him’.” Lance attempted to change the topic, an awkward smile on his face, though he knew the situation was unsalvageable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith” shook his head, getting up from his uncomfortable position. “No, it's okay. I go by ‘he/him’. Hello, Mrs. McClain. I apologize for the intrusion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See? Keith knows how to say sorry. And you?” Lance’s mom crossed her arms expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Lo siento, mama</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” he hung his head in shame, unable to wriggle out of this predicament.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mrs. McClain, I am so sorry, but there is no need to be mad at Lance. I insisted he hid me because I wanted my visit to be a surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They looked at “Keith”. Lance was overflowing with too many emotions, still processing being caught by his mom, and now “Keith” was lying as well. His head was reeling, but he had to get his shit together if he wanted to get out of this as smoothly as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mama</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” he chided in, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “I was supposed to convince all of you to go to the mall or something, and we’d make dinner for all of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith laughed softly, scratching the back of his head. “Well, Lance would cook and I would help. I am afraid I do not know how to cook for the life of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look in Mrs. McClain’s eyes softened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is very sweet that you had a whole surprise planned.” She looked between the two boys, placing a hand on her chest. Then suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Ah, I have an idea. How about I join in your plan? I’m the only one who knows anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance and Keith shared a worried look. For once Lance was glad the mermaid sympathized with him. At least they were on the same page.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will convince all of them to go to the mall, and you two stay here and prepare dinner!” she giggled, giddy with excitement. “Let’s go downstairs, Lance. Oh, this is so thrilling!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith shot Lance an apologetic look as Mrs. McClain dragged him out of the room. Lance returned it with a warning glare. This was getting too out of hand and all because he acted before thinking. He let his emotions get the better of him, and now he was paying the price.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breakfast went smoothly. He could basically feel his mom's excitement from where he sat as she convinced the rest of the family to go to the mall with her and came up with excuses for Lance to be able to stay home "by himself".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clients have always said that Lance's job as a con-artist was practically a talent. It came to him quite naturally and he was so charming that no matter the lie, his victims always fell for them. Lance couldn't help but wonder if he inherited it from his mother. She was so convincing that Lance himself almost believed it had it not been for the reminder that a mermaid, Keith, was upstairs and Lance would have to deal with him later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After eating, Lance excused himself to go back to his room, shutting the door behind him and locking it, turning to the mermaid that was peeking from the closet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So… 'Keith', huh?" Lance huffed, running his fingers through his hair. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn’t know where to start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded. “Yes… You suggested it, so I figured it was alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care what name you use. Right now, you and I are in deep shit.” he groaned in response, flopping down onto his bed. “I’m glad you tried to help, but now my mom thinks we’re dating and that’s probably the worst thing that could happen right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith sat on the mattress on the floor, looking down at his feet. “My apologies. I do not know what else I could have done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We just have to… plan this properly this time. At least getting you around won’t be so hard anymore.” Lance sat up, racking his brain for more ideas on how to get away with getting Keith to leave. “Okay, so we have to play the part for now. As of today, you’re my pretend boyfriend. We need to come up with a story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A story?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded. “Yeah. My family will drill us for details, so we need to come up with a story and we </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to match.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what do you suggest?” Keith shifted his position, now intrigued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You and I met… at work. You’re my coworker and we worked on projects together. That was how we fell in love.” Lance tapped at his chin thoughtfully. “We’ve been dating for… three months.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that awfully short?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean ‘short’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nevermind. I trust your judgement, however terrible it may be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance gave Keith an offended look. “Excuse me? My judgement? Terrible? Let me remind you that we’re in this situation because of you. You begged me for help and this is me helping you. You’re welcome.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith paled, now feeling guilty from what he said. His gaze drifted back down to the sheets below him. “I’m sorry. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so… Now we have our story, we need our plan. We can’t keep playing pretend for the rest of our lives, so… wait…” Lance realized a huge flaw in their plan. “You don’t have documents. Fuck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Documents for travel?” Keith looked back up at Lance, tilting his head slightly in fascination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Is that part of what you learned about humans?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith shook his head. “No, we have our own documentation system and it is used for various reasons such as transfer--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, yeah no. That sounds complicated. No need to explain it to me.” Lance grabbed his phone and started texting. “I have a way to get you documents without raising any suspicions, but this will take about fourteen to fifteen days if we want this to go flawlessly. So, you’re stuck here for about two weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having documents made without going through the whole legal process would take a lot longer and be more troublesome. This guy was not human and had no pre-existing records. He didn’t have any information. Nothing. He was a blank slate, which would make forging the documents a lot easier, but he’d need Hunk and Pidge’s help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look up at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked at Lance, eyes wide with question as Lance took a quick picture and sent it to his friends. He looked up from his phone for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How old are you? Like… in human age if mermaid age is different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith thought about it, computing for a moment then replied. “Twenty six in human years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a birthday?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. We don’t celebrate birthdays.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance nodded, erasing something before typing again. “I’ll just come up with one for you. Your birthday is now… October 23.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, he finalized his message and sent it, promising to pay them once the documents came in. He kept his explanation brief and left out a huge chunk of the story, knowing they’d probably just make fun of him for it. He trusted them, but right now he needed to just get rid of the mermaid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he sent the message, he could hear the rest of his family leave the house. His mother, however, stopped by his room to wish the two of them luck, a mischievous glint in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance loved his mom, and at least he knew that if he were to bring a special someone home someday, she’d be very accepting and welcoming towards them. In a way, it distracted him from the panic he was feeling about having Keith around. If his mom was okay, then the rest of the family would. The only problem now was how to get Keith to leave without being too suspicious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, here’s the plan. When your documents arrive, we have to find a way to get you out of here. We’re going to have to have an ‘argument’ which will lead to a ‘breakup’ and I’ll take you to the airport. I’ll have someone to help you once you get to the city. Sound good?” he asked, pocketing his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded and Lance laid back down, feeling the stress slowly leave his body. Now that he has a solid plan, he didn’t feel the need to panic much anymore. Keeping up with a facade wasn’t as hard as coming up with a lie from scratch. That was what his job revolved around after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After laying there a bit longer, he took Keith downstairs to let him eat while he’d take a shower. Thankfully, there was still enough food saved for him. The mermaid stared at the meal before him suspiciously at first. Lance realized that Keith has probably never seen scrambled eggs in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They come from chicken eggs. You do know what chickens are, right?” he asked Keith, handing him a spoon and fork.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but I have never seen one in person.” Keith replied as he took the utensils from Lance, looking at them with curiosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance gently placed his hands on Keith’s and taught him how to use the spoon then the fork. Keith was surprisingly a fast learner. It was as if he knew all along. Like he wasn’t a creature from the depths of the ocean, a magical-mythical creature that wasn’t supposed to be real. Well sure, there have been speculations and researches, but that’s all they were. There were only insinuations, suggestions of their existence but no actual proof or evidence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, something clicked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, did you lose your tail for good? Or…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith swallowed the food in his mouth, picking up the glass of water and taking a sip before speaking. “It returns with seawater.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about freshwater or like… purified water? Or like… water infused with salt?” Lance inquired, the wheels in his head turning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it must be directly from the ocean. The life force of the sea is what allows us to live in the water.” He took another spoonful of eggs in his mouth, eyes lighting up at the taste. He glanced at Lance for a moment before filling his plate up again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay then… So, I’m just going to take a shower. You can… you can use it after me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance trotted off to the bathroom, a plan forming in his mind. This was going to be a revolutionary discovery. Something as bizarre as a </span>
  <em>
    <span>mermaid</span>
  </em>
  <span> would be worth a fortune to the right buyer. All the money he’s made in the years he’s been working as a con-artist wouldn’t come anywhere close to how much he’d make from this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood under the shower, thinking of revisions to his plan. Of course, the majority of his initial plan would still push through, but there will be some changes and additions that Lance would have to make behind the scenes. Nothing he couldn’t handle, of course. He’s done things like this before, so it would be a walk in the park. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance walked out of the bathroom and changed in his room. Keith was probably downstairs, so he had a few moments of privacy before going over to check on his guest. He took that time to contact a few people he figured would be interested in sea creatures. He didn’t give too many details, saying that he made an amazing discovery in Cuba and that he had living, breathing proof. After sending the emails, he made his way downstairs to go and get Keith, finding him in the living room, looking at the pictures lined along the walls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a large family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small smile formed on the corner of his mouth. He’s always received that comment every time he talked about his family, and he took that as a compliment. He took pride in how closely-knit they all were. Sure, they had their quarrels every now and then, but no matter how terrible things got, they all still stuck together through the years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well. You’ll meet them tonight, so get ready. Especially my sisters. They, uh… They like to pry.” Lance chuckled softly, walking over to Keith’s side. “And expect my brothers to joke around. A lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I will do my best.” Keith turned to face him, an eager smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment there, Lance could’ve sworn time stood still for a moment. It was as if all was right in the world for a moment. It felt warm and familiar. It was as if this smile was something he needed. But Lance was quick to brush it off this time. He wasn’t going to give in to these bursts of emotions. They were nonsense to him after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. First, you need to wash up. Next, we need to work on what we’re going to say later tonight. We may have the basics down, but they’ll ask really specific questions which you gotta know how to answer. Come on. I’ll teach you how to use the shower.” He said as he motioned for Keith to follow him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After giving Keith the basic rundown on how the shower worked and about bathing products, Lance went back to his room to pick out some decent clothes for Keith. He decided on some of his smaller clothes of his, but not the ones from the house. He was sure his family would notice and he wasn’t sure how to answer those questions properly nor did he want to be asked those questions. The goal was to not make things too complicated with him and Keith. Especially since this wasn’t going to be permanent, nor did Lance have any intentions of making it permanent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Keith was in some fresh clothes, Lance began quizzing him on some basic information about him like his favorite color, favorite food, his birthday, some hobbies. He also helped Keith with some extra information in case he was asked about himself as well. He also made sure to teach Keith about some human things like the TV or cellphones. That urged Lance to make a mental note to get Keith a phone just in case. He wouldn’t want to lose track of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The evening was drawing closer and Lance figured it would be a good idea to start preparing the dinner. At first, there was the initial anxiety of executing the plan the moment his family would get home. However Lance was confident in how much preparation they had done the whole day. So, eventually, Lance calmed down and put his focus to preparing the “surprise” dinner while Keith sat on top of the kitchen counter, observing Lance’s movements as he began putting the dish together with ease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It all felt so… normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like there was nothing strange about what was going on. Like Keith wasn’t a mermaid, like this wasn’t fake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In fact, Lance found himself smiling every now and then at Keith’s remarks. It was small, but the feeling was just too natural. Talking with Keith and just spending time with him felt like second nature to Lance. Like it was something he’s been doing for ages. Like it was something he was always meant to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should probably get you some clothes tomorrow. So, I hope you like shopping.” he said as he took the meat and dumped it on the pan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded, picking up the wooden spoon beside him and turning it in his hands to examine it further. “By the way, Lance. Does your kind have endearments for each other? Wouldn’t it be much more believable that way?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yeah. I forgot about that.” Lance hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I guess I have some ideas. The most common ones are, like… ‘babe’ or ‘baby’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why on Earth would you compare your significant other to an infant?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that broke Lance completely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was laughing so hard, he could hardly stand. His knees buckled and he had to grab onto the counter’s ledge to keep him upright. His sides began hurting, but he could not stop laughing. His eyes were sealed shut, making him miss the way Keith beamed so brightly at his laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was an honest question, Lance!” he chuckled, shaking his head with amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, I know!” Lance was still laughing his head off. “I just never thought of it like that before!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Lance had fully calmed down, he smoothed his clothes and wiped the stray tears that escaped his eyes. His sides still ached, but he didn’t mind. He grabbed the salt and pepper to season the dish, thinking of other options for nicknames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, not those then. Now that you’ve said it, I can’t unsee that.” A thought suddenly came to Lance’s mind as he set the seasonings back down from where he took them. “How about for you mermaids? Do you have endearments?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh we do, but our language cannot be easily taught to humans.” Keith shrugged, still fiddling with the spoon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance turned to him, eyebrow raised slightly. “Well, you learned how to speak English. Why can’t I learn?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We communicate through the water, Lance. It is a language that you cannot necessarily speak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, crossing his arms. “Okay then. Can you at least try to find an English equivalent of those words? The endearments, I mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed in thought like he was trying to solve the world’s greatest riddle. Lance simply stood there patiently till Keith lit up, a smile playing on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My Treasure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a glimmer in Keith’s eyes that Lance just couldn’t quite put a name to. For a moment there, Lance saw… something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was familiar. Distant and familiar. Like a faraway dream.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My Treasure</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words rang like a song he’s heard before, but could never find the title to. There was no name to it. Just a feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps… a memory?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance, are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked, snapping out of his trance and rubbed at his temples firmly. He took a deep breath before nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s eyebrows were furrowed in concern, but Lance gave him a small, reassuring smile. He reached out to take the wooden spoon from Keith and used it to stir the meat around on the pan, letting the aroma waft around the kitchen. He could head Keith take a deep breath behind him, inhaling the smell of the dish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked over his shoulder to where Keith sat. “Wanna taste it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no it’s alright. I can wait until dinner.” he chuckled in reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on. Try it.” Lance insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment of contemplation, Keith hopped off the counter to stand beside Lance, who grabbed an extra spoon, taking a small portion of the food and softly blowing on it. He looked to Keith and let out a soft laugh. Keith was practically drooling at the sight of the meal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance held the spoon out to him and Keith reached out to take the spoon, only for Lance to pull it away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. If we’re going to pretend to be dating, we have to act the part.” He pointed the spoon towards Keith once again. “You gotta let me feed you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith eyed the food on the spoon then shifted his gaze back up to Lance before looking at the food again, his face now a tint of pink. “Well, for us, offering to feed another directly is asking for permission to court and to eat it is to accept. I know you do not mean it, but… it is still strange to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance nodded with understanding, feeling the heat rise to his face as well. They may be pretending to be dating, but Lance wasn’t sure what these things meant for mermaids. He didn’t want to get himself entangled in something even worse than what he already got himself into.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, uh… Sorry about that. How about if I just… offer you the spoon then? Is that okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is alright.” Keith reassured, simply taking the spoon from him and tasting the dish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Keith chewed the food in his mouth, his expression relaxed and he smiled, nodding in approval. He liked it. Lance couldn’t help but smile along. The way Keith lit up was just too contagious. It never failed to make the room seem brighter and air much lighter. Lance felt calmer seeing Keith enjoy himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment was broken by the sound of the car pulling up to the driveway. Lance turned the stove off, wiping his hands on a hand towel before looking at Keith once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hand-holding isn’t symbolic to mermaids, is it?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith shook his head and Lance linked their hands together. He could feel that familiar buzzing where their skin met, making its home in his fingertips and palm. Lance did his best to ignore it for now and tugged Keith along to the dining room just as his family entered the house from their little outing to the mall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, guys.” Lance fixed the brightest smile he could conjure up on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone was speechless for a moment, stunned at the sight before them. Save for Mrs. McClain, of course, who was grinning widely from where she stood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like all of you to meet Keith, my… my boyfriend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words felt so heavy on his tongue, but not in the way lies normally did. It didn’t feel wrong in the sense that those words weren’t true, but rather that they were the wrong words. That there was another term, another label that would very much suit Keith, and it wasn’t ‘boyfriend’, but Lance didn’t know what it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Veronica was the first to react, a proud smirk forming on her face. “So, Lancito </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> grow up. Hi, Keith. I’m Veronica.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Keith could even respond, everyone began speaking all at once, the excitement in their voices releasing the tension in the air. Some of Lance’s siblings and relatives were fussing over him, patting him on the back, ruffling his hair, and teasing him. While the others, especially Lance’s nieces and nephews crowded over Keith welcoming him and asking him question after question, all of which he struggled to answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two shared a look, both agreeing that things were going well and to simply stick to the plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance’s mom shooed all the eager people from the “couple” so that Lance’s dad could have his turn to approach them. Lance quickly took Keith’s hand again, realizing he had let go while everyone else had attacked them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this why you insisted on staying home today?” Lance’s dad asked Lance, his eyes trained on Keith, scrutinizing him from head to toe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… Keith and I wanted to surprise you all.” he explained, his grip on Keith tightening slightly. He’s never seen his dad like this except when he interrogated his sisters’ boyfriends. He figured that this look was reserved for the boyfriends no matter which sibling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You knew about this, didn’t you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>amor</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Mr. McClain glanced over to his wife, who nodded her smile becoming much more proud than playful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I caught Lance trying to hide him upstairs this morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A chorus of giggles erupted from the siblings, which was instantly hushed by their mom. Lance really hoped that his mom would never mention that. Now he had to deal with… more “personal” questions from them later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. McClain extended his hand out to Keith, his expression much more relaxed and welcoming. “It’s so nice to meet you, Keith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith let go of Lance’s hand to firmly shake Mr. McClain’s. “The pleasure is all mine, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Lance’s dad pulled him in for a hug and everyone whooped for joy, returning to teasing Lance, who was being hugged by his mom as well. The parents swapped places, Lance’s mom hugging Keith and Lance’s dad with Lance. Everyone was delighted to have Keith and were more than eager to bombard him with more and more questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dinner went as smoothly as one could expect. Everyone took turns in interrogating Lance and Keith. Most of the questions were ones Lance had already anticipated and which he and Keith rehearsed beforehand. The other questions were smaller, much more personal ones which Keith handled gracefully, but Lance couldn’t help but wonder if Keith was telling the truth or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Keith, where are you from?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I was born someplace in Japan, but my family and I have been moving around a lot ever since I was little.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The topic of his family interested Lance’s mom greatly. “Your family, huh? So, do you still live with them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not anymore. I decided to… go my own way. Which was how I met Lance, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That one did not feel like a lie to Lance. In fact, Lance realized that he never really asked Keith how and why he ended up on the beach. What brought him to come up to land?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you still in contact with them?” his mom continued with her questioning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not right now.” Keith admitted. “My father passed away when I was young and my mother is always busy. She does have her, uh… responsibilities.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? What is her job?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Panic rose in Lance’s chest, bubbling there for a moment. They hadn’t discussed anything about Keith’s family and what he should say if his family were to ask about them. Lance racked his brain for ways to change the topic, but Keith continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, she’s currently at sea.” he casually replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance choked on his food, half from surprise and half from containing his laughter. Keith was most definitely not lying there, but the idea alone was just too funny to him. He quickly downed a glass of water to help him clear his throat, Veronica patting him on the back. Lance shot everyone an apologetic look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry ‘bout that.” he chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned to Keith to see him looking at him ridiculously. He returned it with a playful look of his own. The whole mermaid thing was becoming an inside joke between them and maybe… just maybe… Lance was enjoying it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so… who asked who out?”  Rachel, Lance’s other sister, asked before anyone else could interject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance took that as his cue to step in. “Ah, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded, “He is telling the truth actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance took Keith’s hand in his, their eyes meeting. “It started with him and me always fighting. A lot. But as time passed, we started to realize that we had a lot in common. I guess, he and I were both in denial at first, but eventually… we stopped being stubborn. I realized I didn’t want another day to pass without him knowing what I felt for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Wait.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lance thought to himself, suddenly aware of the look on Keith’s face whose expression mirrored his own. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘That wasn’t what we discussed. Where the fuck did that come from?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Much to Lance’s surprise, everyone was left in awe from Lance’s story. It pretty much worked out after all. He brushed off that feeling of dread that filled him up, and decided to just go with it. He’ll leave the wondering for later. For now, he was going to make sure everything went smoothly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time flew by till eventually, all the food was gone and everyone moved to the living room to continue with their conversations and watch a movie. Lance’s mom was taking care of the dishes when Keith slipped into the kitchen and offered to help her with them. She was delighted to receive help from an extra pair of hands and the two began chatting away. She began telling Keith all about Lance when he was younger, not sparing a single detail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, in the living room, Lance and the rest of his family were halfway through the second Jurassic Park movie when Lance figured he should check on Keith before something else went wrong. It was when he made it to the kitchen doorway, that he felt a warm feeling wash over him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From where he stood, Lance could see Keith and his mom laughing about a joke or a story as she handed Keith a plate to rinse. Lance wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying at all. He was too busy just basking in the sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Someday, my treasure, you shall meet my family. I have no doubts that my mother will love you the moment she meets you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance frowned for a moment, looking down, confused as to where that came from. It was not a hallucination or anything of the sort, but it was more like a… memory. But that was impossible. He’s never said that before. And if he did, then to whom? Lance shook the thought out of his head. It didn’t matter because it was simply a delusion or some sort of daydream. Yet, he wasn’t entirely convinced nor did he understand what that was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked back up and came face to face with Keith. He could see his mom standing over by the sink, wearing a concerned look on her face that matched Keith’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you’re alright?” Keith asked, slowly taking Lance’s hand in his. It instantly calmed Lance down, the frown on his face disappearing. He couldn’t explain why, but holding Keith’s was very soothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m good. I just feel a little tired.” He stroked the back of Keith’s hand with his thumb subconsciously, the action shooting warmth up his arm and all over his body. “Why don’t you join us for the movie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked over his shoulder, at Lance’s mom for some sort of reassurance and she gave him a small nod in return. He looked back to Lance and nodded, allowing him to take him to the living where they both found a space for themselves on the couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the way they were seated, Lance was leaning against the armrest with Keith squeezed against him. Lance instinctively reached around Keith’s shoulders, pulling him closer to him. He convinced himself that this was just to keep up with appearances. They had to look and play the part of a couple after all. However, something in the back of his mind told him that there was more to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much, much more.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day 6: Pirate AU (Part 2 of Day 5: Mermaid AU)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Part 2 of Day 5: Mermaid AU.</p><p>As Lance and Keith's story unfolds, time reveals snippets of how it all began, how fate and the ocean tied together to kindred souls to find each other in every life.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For the pirate part of this story, I used Leandro and Akira because I couldn't come up with any names to use for them. Just imagine Lance and Keith, but with different names. Also, this story was inspired by Legend of the Blue Sea, a K-drama that is definitely worth the watch! I hope you enjoy this! It turned out to be much longer than I had intended, so I apologize if it is a little long. Enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Look alive, everyone. Lady Luck smiles at us today!” Leandro laughed as the crates of gold and jewels were hauled onto the deck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He plucked a bracelet that stuck out from one of the chests, holding up against the light to admire the way it gittered beneath the sun. He grinned inwardly, excited to go home and bring his share of the treasure back to his family. He was going to buy all of them anything their hearts desired and spoil each one of them rotten.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro slipped the bracelet in his pocket when he heard a voice call out to him from behind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Captain!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The cry was filled with dread and fear, as if to warn him. He was quick to pick up on the tone of distress and reached for the pistol in his holster. Suddenly, he could sense it. A presence drawing closer to him. Possibly a threat. He drew his gun and pointed it at his supposed attacker, aiming right between his eyebrows only to be met with a sword pressed against his throat.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shoot and I cut your throat.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cut my throat and I shoot. And even if I miss, you’re outnumbered.” Leandro retorted. Out of the corner of his crew began drawing their swords and guns, calming him immensely. “I’m not afraid of death, kind sir, and I know my ship will be in good hands with my crew.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The blade pressed a little more against his neck, but still Leandro didn’t budge. He truly meant what he said. He had his crewmates’ loyalty and he knew they would give his share of the gold to his family. Everything was taken care of. He knew he was going to die someday, and he wanted to be prepared for that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>From behind the stranger, he could see The Pigeon slowly sneak their way towards them, brandishing a dagger of their own. All Leandro needed to do was to keep the stranger’s eyes on him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Go ahead. Slice away.” he taunted, still not moving. His finger rested lightly against the trigger, not wanting to kill the man just yet. He may be a pirate, but he has some ounces of mercy. If this man would not back off, he might just have to put a bullet through his head.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The stranger lowered his dagger, eyes still trained on him warily. “You are not Commander Sendak, are you?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Snickers rang out from Leandro’s crewmates. He too couldn’t help but chuckle at those words. Of course, he understood the confusion. His ship, The Blue Lion, once belonged to Sendak. Once, not anymore.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Evidently not. The bastard ran off.” someone from the crew scoffed. “He abandoned us. Left us for dead.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro nodded in response, lowering his gun. The Pigeon was right behind the stranger, ready to attack in case, so he relaxed a bit more. “So, run along, pretty boy. You’ll find nothing here.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Where is he? If you were his crew, you would know where he is.” the stranger demanded, reaching for his cutlass, getting Leandro to brandish his gun once more. “Take me to him.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro simply scoffed in reply, eyes still fixed on this stranger. “No.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This response obviously did not please the stranger one bit. In a blink of an eye, the stranger ducked and swept his leg, knocking Leandro off the ground. The moment the pirate captain got up on his feet, he saw the stranger holding The Pigeon firmly with one arm and pressing his sword against their throat with his free hand.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You may not fear death, but can you say the same for your crewmate?” he seethed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t listen to him, captain.” The Pigeon spat. “I ain’t afraid of a butter knife. Let him do his worst!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Take me. To Sendak.” The stranger repeated as he slowly moved back, towards the edge of the pier. “Or this one dies. If you shoot, they go down with me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro considered his options, and he honestly had only one. The Pigeon was one of his closest friends. He’s known them ever since they were children. He couldn’t just let them die. Sure, going after Sendak would be suicide, but he would rather take a chance than to undoubtedly lose a most beloved friend.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He lowered his pistol, signaling for everyone to lower their weapons.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Welcome, stranger, to the Blue Lion. What is your name?” he sighed, returning his gun to its holster.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Akira.”</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Lance opened his eyes slowly and blinked once then twice, taking in his surroundings. He had fallen asleep on the living room floor with his nieces and nephews draped over him. He could swear their collective weights have turned his bones into dust. The heaviness of the bodies clinging onto him was more than enough to get his mind off of that weirdly vivid dream he just had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though, he could not shake off the fact that the other guy in his dream, the stranger, Akira, looked uncannily like Keith. He figured it was probably because they’ve been spending a lot of time together and just ignored it instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned, slowly removing them off of him one by one when another pair of hands helped him out. He looked up to see Keith, a small smile on his face as he carried one of the sleeping children in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good afternoon, Lance. How was your nap?” he chuckled, keeping his voice low as to not wake the kids yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What time is it?” he asked, finally getting up from the floor. He outstretched his arms to take his sleeping niece from Keith who shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got him.” his boyfriend, or pretend boyfriend rather, assured him as he carried the kid to the couch, laying him there gently. “It’s almost three in the afternoon. Your parents went out to buy some extra ingredients for brownies your brother wants to bake. The rest are asleep, I think. They went upstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance nodded, stretching as he looked around. The place was relatively cleaner than he remembered it being. The toys have been put away but the furniture was still in disarray. Well, he had been playing tag, hide and seek, and many other games with the kids. He’d be surprised if the furniture was perfectly arranged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Keith. I’m gunna make snacks for them.” he said as walked over to the kitchen. “Wanna help me out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded excitedly. “Sure!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s been almost two weeks since Lance had found Keith on the beach and it didn’t take much to get him to be integrated into the family. To be fair, the two of them have been pretending to be dating, so everyone took him in without question. And so far, they all loved Keith. They’ve taken him to different places, be it the mall, some shops in the area, or even just to a convenience store.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance would be lying if he said that it didn’t warm his heart up by even just a bit. He had to constantly remind himself that this was all fake, that Keith wasn’t really his boyfriend, but the more he spent time with Keith, the more he found things he particularly liked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith was always curious about human life and it always made Lance smile. He would notice the way Keith’s eyes would light up when he was shown something new and how he would lean in closer ever so slightly to look closer. Lance also noticed how music fascinated him to no end. He even bought him a pair of earphones and taught him how to listen to music on his phone. Keith, being the fast learner that was, was now able to make playlists and listened to music as much as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Lance started taking out the utensils to make the food, Keith fiddled with his phone and played some music. It wasn’t loud as to wake up anyone, but just enough to add a little life in the kitchen as they worked. Lance handed Keith some ingredients and gave him some instructions, trusting him enough to get things done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was another thing Lance liked about Keith. This guy may be a creature from underwater, but he was quick to understand what he was taught. No task was too much for Keith. Of course, every attempt wasn’t perfect, but it still left Lance in awe just how quickly Keith picked up on certain cues, figuring out how things worked. It really wasn’t like in the movies. Keith was much more intelligent than Lance had initially thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Lance knew it, Keith could practically pass off as a regular person. If he didn’t know Keith was a mermaid, he wouldn’t think much of his oddities. He simply would seem like a tourist on a vacation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A cute tourist on a vacation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance frowned for a moment, shaking the thought from his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, Keith had attractive features, but they weren’t enough to tempt him in any way, shape, or form. He was just conventionally good-looking. That was all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced over at his pretend-boyfriend, who was bobbing his head to the song that was playing as he prepared the dish Lance instructed him to make. Keith mouthed a few lyrics that he had memorized already and swayed his hips ever so lightly to the rhythm. It was actually quite entertaining, Lance couldn’t help but stare a little while longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The song ending snapped Lance back into the moment and he returned to his own task. Still silently convincing himself that this was simply appreciating certain factors about Keith, that he wasn’t attracted to Keith. They were only pretending to be in love. They weren’t actually in love. Lance wasn’t in love.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith finished with his part before Lance and offered to help him. Lance, looking at the eager expression on his face, was more than glad to split the work between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance…” Keith broke the silence between them. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance chuckled softly, amused. “It really is no problem. You’ve been thanking me for the past week. Relax.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but I feel like I have not thanked you enough. You’ve done so much to accommodate me. You even lied to your family just to help me.” he added, his expression filled with guilt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith laid a hand on top of Lance's, that familiar buzzing warmth dancing where their skins met. Lance gave Keith a reassuring smile in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, you don't have to keep thanking me. I'm just glad you're adjusting well."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance subconsciously turned his hand over to link his fingers with Keith's only to stop himself halfway. Keith was only pretending to be his boyfriend. Yes, they had to act the part, but there was no one around. They did not have to keep up with any act.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He simply laid his free hand on Keith's, clasping it and holding it tightly. That calming sensation he felt every time he held Keith's hand spread around his other palm now. Lance no longer wanted to let go, but eventually he had to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to remind himself that this was all an act. He wasn't in love or attracted to this mermaid. No, he had already planned on selling him off to a high-paying bidder soon. He was already getting attached, he didn't want to get attached. This creature meant nothing to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or so he tried to convince himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they placed the food on a plate and prepared the juice, as they went over to wake up Lance's nieces and nephews, as they fixed the messy furniture together, Lance began questioning just why he felt more like himself doing all these things with Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every task, every action they did together was done in nearly perfect sync.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance's mind wandered back to when his mom found Keith in his closet. That day, Keith seemed to know just what to say and do when he was speechless. Lance initially brushed it off as mere coincidence, that in that moment, they were on the same page and agreed with each other. But the more he thought about it it was a little peculiar that this has been a running theme between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were so many moments wherein it was if Keith added an extra piece to the puzzle that Lance didn’t know he was missing. Whether it was finishing a thought or getting something done, Keith sort of just… fit. Like it was the most natural thing for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Lance… Lance couldn’t help but enjoy it. All his life, he always felt like he lacked something. He had spent years chasing highs, looking for just about anything to fill that hole nestled deep inside him. He flirted around, partied, drank, did just about anything he could set his mind to. Nothing ever came close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he and Keith were washing the dishes with his brothers, Lance asked Keith, “Do you wanna go out tomorrow? Like… just the two of us. We’ve been spending a lot of time around my family. As much as I love them, I wanna spend time with you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He mentally beat himself up for speaking before thinking. Sure, he had wanted to ask Keith that, but he had promised to himself that he was to keep his distance, not feed into his delusions. Lance was about to take back his offer until he saw the way Keith perked up. It made Lance feel a little lighter. He guessed it would be alright to give in for now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be amazing.” Keith agreed, eager to go around town with Lance as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance found himself smiling back.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro double and triple checked the map and their coordinates to make sure they were on course. The royal warships were after them and Lance had to be sure that they were taking the right routes to avoid getting caught. Though they weren’t in any particular danger… yet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Lost?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He looked up to see their so-called “guest of honor”, Akira, standing at the other end of the table, a condescending look on his face as he eyed Lance scrutinizingly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira was the son of a retired royal soldier and was currently living with his brother at the palace. This said brother had a battle with Commander Sendak, a high ranking officer from the Galra Empire, and had lost an arm, almost losing his life. Akira had travelled miles to get his revenge for his brother, which was why he was on board the Blue Lion.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sure, Leandro understood Akira’s story. He, himself, had siblings as well after all. But this man was just a pain in his ass. He criticized every little thing Leandro did and acted all high and mighty every single time, like he was so much better than him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira has been aboard Leandro’s ship for many, many days now. Some of the crewmates have warmed up to his personality, others have learned to ignore it, while some others including Leandro himself still could not bear even looking in his direction.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There have been many, many times in which he and Leandro have fought, be it verbally, sword fighting, and even fist fighting. Each time has resulted in the crew holding them back from each other or them having to put a stopper to their fight to sail away and outrun royal ships.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, I am just making sure that the royal fleet does not catch up to us because if they do, they will have all of us hanged.” Leandro huffed, returning to checking the map.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira shrugged, adjusting his gloves. “Oh, they will hang you and your crew. I will just be sent home.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ah, yes, yes. Of course. You are completely heartless, after all. Would not bat an eyelash for the people you threatened into helping you find the last person we would want to go looking for.” He rolled his eyes, unable to stand Akira’s holier-than-thou attitude and would rather be anywhere else.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro may be a pirate, but at least he was willing to admit that his life wasn’t exactly the noblest. Stealing and fighting wasn’t something to be proud of, but it was all he could do. He wasn’t born into a life of privilege like this narrow-minded rich boy. He had to scrape up what he could just to get by.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, if you could find him sooner, I could get out of your way much quicker.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It took everything in the captain to not do anything drastic, but he did turn to Akira, brandishing his pistol. The fire in his eyes burned holes through the other’s skull. His patience was starting to wear more and more thin.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, excuse me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>sir. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You are currently aboard my ship and you shall show me respect. You may be the son of gods know who, but I do not give a single damn.” Leandro snarled.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira did not flinch at his words nor at the gun pointed at his head. He simply kept his eye contact, head held high. He’s been threatened with worse, Leandro could tell. But that only fuelled the captain’s rage even further, along with the next few words Akira spoke afterwards.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Go ahead then. Shoot me. You said once before that you do not fear death. Well, neither do I. Shoot, </span>
  </em>
  <span>captain</span>
  <em>
    <span>.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But before Leandro could even get his finger on the trigger, the quartermaster walked up to him, urging him to lower his weapon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"We have already come this far, captain. Please. Let us just get this done with." the quartermaster pleaded.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro may not have liked Akira, but he did trust his quartermaster's advice. He set his gun down on the table, giving Akira one last glare before addressing the quartermaster.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Are the rations secure? Have you informed the others of the plan?" He asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The quartermaster nodded. "Aye, captain. Some of them are a little concerned, but they will cooperate nonetheless. I told them that as long as they follow the orders given, then all will be well."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira frowned, suddenly concerned. "What plan? What is going on?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro pointed at a certain area on his map that he had marked. "By nightfall, we are to sail through the Devil's Pass."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira's face paled upon hearing the name alone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The place the captain had planned to sail through was a strait that was rumored to be haunted as many ships have disappeared there before. He has heard of stories from the palace servants and some soldiers, even from his brother.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Some speculated for that pass to be guarded by demons or cannibals. There were many versions of the what may or may not be lurking within that pass. But the only thing consistent in those stories was the presence of terrible storms with winds strong enough to blow a whole ship out of the water. Whatever was there, no one that had passed through it had ever come back while those that did were left half-alive.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You are insane! We’ll never make it out of there alive!” Akira growled, slamming his fist against the table.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro scoffed, crossing his arms. “Do you have a better plan? If we take a different route, we are sure to be caught by the royal navy and last time I checked, you do not have the power to save us from execution and you need us to find your beloved Commander Sendak. So, as far as we’re concerned, we have a far better shot at surviving the Devil’s Pass than running into the royal fleet.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He rolled his map back up and closed his compass, handing it to the quartermaster as he continued speaking. “If you want to live, join the rest of my crew below decks as we sail through the pass.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“The rest…” Akira pondered on Leandro’s words, suddenly understanding the implications behind them. “Are you saying that you are going to sail the ship by yourself?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro simply looked at him with an unimpressed expression. “I’ve done it before, I most certainly can do it again.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ve… sailed through the Devil’s Pass before?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t say anything and simply gave Akira a sly smirk as a response which was all Akira needed to answer his questions.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Lance decided to take Keith to many places, some they’ve been to already with his family and others were small shops and stalls they just so happened to pass by. They spent the whole morning and afternoon sightseeing till eventually they ended up at the beach. They’ve been to the beach with the rest of Lance’s family a few days prior, but apparently Keith had an “allergic reaction to seawater”, so they left earlier than planned that day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now however, it was just Lance and Keith. They had returned to where they first met, Lance’s little cove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of passing through the gap in the rocks, they decided to take a different route. It was a short trek from the beach through some trees and foliage. The path was a little rocky and uneven, to which Lance had no choice but to hold Keith’s hand through the entire journey to keep him from losing his balance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, Lance did have a choice. He just convinced himself that he didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how did you enjoy the little tour?” Lance asked, pretty proud of himself for the activities he had planned for the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith smiled at him, giving his hand a little squeeze. A gesture Keith sort of picked up along the way. Lance wasn’t complaining though. He thought it was cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, not cute. Nice. It was nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, who was he kidding. He really thought it was adorable. He’d be a fool to deny that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I loved the restaurant we ate at for lunch.” Keith commented, carefully stepping over a rock. “I have always eaten fish raw, so having it grilled was most definitely a new experience.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance laughed, remembering how he was completely disillusioned upon realizing mermaids ate fish. “I still can’t get over how you eat fish. Aren’t you technically a fish too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm... Yes, technically.” He explained. “But it is like how humans eat meat. Cows and pigs are mammals as well, yet you eat them. The same goes for us with fish. Another example would be that sharks to us are the equivalent to lions for you. Or octopi for us are like dogs for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance stopped for a moment, looking at Keith with pure fascination, “You mean to tell me that you can keep an octopus as a pet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did have a pet octopus as a child, yes.” he giggled at Lance’s reaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is so cool! I want an octopus as a pet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They continued their walk as Keith laughed. This time, Lance allowed himself to be enraptured by the sound. It was like a melody to his ears, a song he could listen to for ages and never get tired of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps I can go search for one for you later.” Keith offered teasingly, giving Lance a little nudge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment they reach the shore, Lance could see Keith light up, excited to get in the water again. He lets go of Keith’s hand, urging him to go on ahead to the water. Keith does not waste a second and starts stripping his clothes off, laying them on a nearby rock. Lance looks away for a moment, trying his very best to fight off the blush creeping up his face. The moment he heard a splash was when he deemed it safe to look over at Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that Lance was much more open-minded about Keith being a mermaid, he actually took the time to admire Keith’s mermaid form. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It feels like forever ago since I’ve seen you like this.” Lance commented, taking his shirt off so that he was in just his swimming trunks before wading into the water after Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree. It has only been a few days, but it feels like it’s been months since then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naturally, time would seem like it flew by in a blink of an eye, but with Keith, Lance found himself savoring every single second. A week felt like a year with him. In a good way, of course. It was like he’s known Keith for ages. There was that feeling of familiarity every time he looked at him, a sense of deja vu in those eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With each passing second, Lance found himself giving into that pull. It terrified him just how intense that feeling was. After everything that had happened, Lance found himself slowly changing his mind about Keith. Maybe he was just getting soft, maybe he was just getting too comfortable with him. Whatever it was, Lance just couldn’t bring himself to push through with his initial plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, I never got to ask you.” Lance pushed his wet hair back, watching Keith closely. “Why did you come here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence felt heavy. There was something serious laying there, something Keith was holding back. From what the frown on his face told him, it was fueled by anger. Something happened, something bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same men who killed my father found us. We were at the wrong place at the wrong time and they cut my brother’s arm off.” Keith stared off into the distance, the sunset setting his eyes alight. “They are mermaids as well, but they ran off to land. So, I followed them here, and I’ll make sure they pay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry. I never knew.” He placed a hand on Keith’s arm reassuringly. “Why didn’t you say anything about it before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith shook his head. This face softened as he looked at Lance once again. “It was my burden to bear. Especially after you chose to help me. Or after I begged for you to help me, rather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance laughed softly, not moving his hand. He liked being close to Keith. It always filled him with warmth and a special kind of calmness. He couldn’t help but wonder how he lived without it. It was as if a cry had been silence, a craving satisfied. Something that stirred in him finally stopped. Lance never felt more like himself for once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well… I can help you. Or at least try. This whole… lying thing. It’s kind of my job. But it helps. I know how to find people and get to them.” He offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “Lying is your job?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s terrible. But you can’t tell my family, alright. It sucks to lie to them, but it isn’t exactly the best thing to hear that your son is a criminal, a bad person. A liar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slowly pulled his hand off Keith’s shoulder, only for Keith to take it in his own. Keith clasped onto Lance’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. There was just so much adoration in the way Keith looked at him, Lance felt his chest clench.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance has always berated himself for being such a lowlife. Sure, he lived such a luxurious life, but he only managed to because he lied and stole. He’s conned people, but he wasn’t proud of it. It started as a means to make a living, and turned into a life he couldn’t escape. He knew deep down, he despised it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are not a bad person. And even if you have done things to earn that title, it’s never too late to change.” Keith rubbed his thumb along Lance’s palm. Each little caress set his skin on fire in the best way possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took Lance a little while to realize that Keith was leaning in closer. Or was it that he was leaning closer to Keith?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever the case was, they both realized it and stopped mere inches from each other before pulling back awkwardly. Keith suddenly found the scenery to be much more eye-catching while Lance cleared his throat awkwardly, running his fingers through his hair. There was something thick hanging in the air between them now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Lance thought to break the silence first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, do you, uh… Wanna go back or do you wanna stay here a bit longer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded. “I wanna stay here just a bit longer. But you can go on ahead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance didn’t want to leave the water, but he also wanted to put a little distance between them. It was as if there was a magnetic pull between them and Lance wasn’t sure what would happen if he were to give in to it. So, he fought against it for now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Keith as he sat on the shore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they made their way back, they were much more silent than before, a large space in between them now. Lance had thought of taking Keith’s hand again, but he convinced himself that it would be a bad idea. He wasn’t sure if Keith really felt something for him, so there was no need to be romantic while it was just the two of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did, however, open the car door for Keith and helped him in. As cautious as he had tried to be, he could not deny the fact that he wanted to be closer to Keith. He wanted to be near him at all times, to spoil him and spend time with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was when Keith smiled at him from the passenger seat while Lance started the car that he accepted it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He most definitely was falling for Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Lance was too busy drowning in his revelation that he failed to see the man standing not too far from where they were parked, taking a picture of them.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Everyone is below decks. Go and join them, Akira.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Still, Akira chose to be stubborn and protested. “We do not have to go through the pass. We can try to outrun the royal ships instead. Please, Leandro. Think this through.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Listen to me.” Leandro turned to him, staring at him directly in the eyes. “I have sailed through the pass twice in my entire life. Both times, I have come out of it alive and in one piece, my crew only attaining minor injuries. I know what I’m doing.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Things do not always go as planned, captain.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro felt his blood turn to ice at his words. They were filled with a kind of sorrow, one much too familiar to him. The desperation in Akira’s voice was as clear as day. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please. I beg of you. Turn back.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He thought for a moment, understanding Akira’s concern, but they needed to take a risk. He needed to take a risk. Leandro was confident he could lead them out of the pass and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure he did just that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I apologize, Akira. But have faith. I promise you that I will get this ship through. I promise.” Leandro placed a firm hand on Akira’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze of assurance.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Still, Akira did not look convinced at all. His gaze was fixed to the floor, unable to look at Leandro. “I pray to whatever god that will listen that you are right.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He then turned to head below with everyone else, leaving Leandro to be alone on the ship’s surface. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The captain was terrified as well. But he knew he could do this. It was a risk he was most willing to take. The fleet wouldn’t follow them into the deadly storms and would put more distance between them. He knew he could do this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro did final checks along the boat until he could see the pass come into view. The clouds around it were thick and darker than any other he’s laid his eyes on before. Terror pooled in his stomach, but he fought off the dread eating at him and made his way to the helm. Slowly, they entered the place where no man returned. There was no more turning back.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Instantly, Leandro was hit by winds so strong, he had to grip onto the wheel tightly, feet planted as firmly to the ground as possible. The boat swayed with the violent waves, but the Blue Lion pushed on. Once upon a time, Leandro would have cowered at the mere sight of this kind of storm, but time and experience can really shape a person.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The sails were raised, as per Leandro’s command, and all the barrels, crates, and other items that may move around were moved below decks. That way, Leandro could steer without problems or worry. He was going to rely on the push and pull of the waves to get him where he needed to go.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The only problem he had was holding on. The rain made it hard to see and made the wheel slippery. Leandro’s knuckles were white from gripping the wheel so tightly. He could feel his skin being rubbed raw, but he didn’t care. His focus was on getting out of the pass.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Though despite having done this before, Leandro was still struggling to navigate his way through. The ship rocked violently as it was being shoved around by the waves, threatening to throw him overboard. No matter how hard he squinted, the path before him was unseeable. But as far as he was concerned, the ship was still moving forward and they hadn’t hit anything just yet, so they were safe.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>One particular wave threw the ship slightly upwards and Leandro’s grip on the steering wheel couldn’t save him from being tossed around like a fish. He was flung across the deck, landing on his side with a loud thud. Leandro could only be grateful that he landed on the boat and not out of it. The downside, however, was the sharp pain travelling up his right side, covering his ribs, leg, and arm.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The storm drowned his groans of pain with thunder and the crashing of the waves as he tried to get back up on his feet. The unsteadiness of the boat only made his situation worse. He stumbled once again, falling flat on face. A comforting thought was that there was no one to see him scrambling across the floor with such lack of grace.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His journey back to the wheel felt like it lasted a lifetime, but eventually, he made it. Now, his only struggle was getting back up. The pain in his body only grew with each passing second, and he couldn’t seem to find his balance.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro was just about to topple over for what probably was the third time when he felt a pair of strong arms grab him. He looked up to meet with a pair of eyes so purple, they held a storm of their own.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stay down! Let me handle this!” Akira yelled through the sounds of chaos around them as he slowly set him down in a secure corner.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro found some rope and used it to tie himself to the ship just in case his grip failed him once more. He kept his eyes on Akira, who took the wheel and steered them through the raging waters, just in case he needed any help. Though he’d probably not be able to help in the slightest, especially not with the injuries he was sustaining.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The last thing Leandro remembered seeing was Akira, eyes set dead ahead with a certain reckless determination in them as the rain, wind, and thund all roared around him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He then passed out with only one thing going through his mind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beautiful.”</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Lance bolted upright, frantically looking around before remembering that it was all a dream. That was the third dream in a row about those pirates. He wanted to brush it all off as a coincidence, but his gut was telling him otherwise. Third time’s the charm and all that. Plus these were the same people in each dream it was too uncanny of an occurrence to be a coincidence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He decided to shake those thoughts off for a bit, swinging his legs off the bed and getting up. The mattress on the floor was empty, meaning Keith was already downstairs. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at how comfortable Keith was with his family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The events of the day before still replayed in his head again and again. He couldn’t help but smile at those thoughts. It felt too good to be true, yet it was. It was real. He had gone out on a date with Keith and swam with him, and even was so close to kissing him. It felt like a dream he’d never want to wake up from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt so bizarre, all those things he was feeling, but they never felt more right. After going through the majority of his life having nothing but regrets, for once in his life, Lance felt like he was doing something right. He was doing something actually worthwhile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith was worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just knew it. He did not know how, but Keith was worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance slowly made his way downstairs, the sounds of his family’s chatter slowly getting clearer and clearer as he approached the dining room. The scene before him only made his thoughts become more persistent with their revelation. He could see everyone eating and chatting, passing the food to each other and Keith sat somewhere near the center, talking to his brother about something he couldn’t quite make out. The way Keith was already so integrated into the family after the span of a few days only solidified Lance’s feelings more and more. Keith was quite literally a fish out of water, yet he fit into the picture quite perfectly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith must’ve caught the sight of Lance out of the corner of his eye because he turned and looked straight at him, eyes lighting up instantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah! Good morning, Lancito. A package arrived for you, it’s in the living room. It was from Hunk.” his mom said to him as she noticed his presence. “But come here and eat breakfast first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance made a beeline for the empty seat right beside Keith, slipping his hand in Keith’s like it was second nature to him to do so. A few days ago, he only did it as a pretense, but now, it was all he wanted to do. Even as they ate, he still held onto Keith’s hand, their fingers linked and warmth blooming on their palms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith tried to tug his hand away to hold his fork, but Lance only held it tighter, offering him a playful grin. Keith tried his best to look annoyed, but the facade betrayed him almost instantly. He still kept on tugging at Lance’s grip, and Lance still did not budge or loosen his grip. Keith bit at his lip to keep his laughter from escaping his lips as the tug of war for his hand continued for a good fifteen minutes till Keith started giving up with pulling his hand away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance.” he whined, the smile still playing on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith.” Lance snickered in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Boys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They turned to see Mrs. McClain staring at them with a stern look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance finally let Keith’s hand go, trying to fight off the smile on his face only to fail miserably. He glanced over to Keith who wasn’t faring any better in his attempts at hiding his grin. Lance slowly dropped his hand to his side and like Keith read his mind, he took it in his own underneath the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After peacefully finishing breakfast, Lance retrieved the package from the living room and brought it up to his room where Keith was already waiting for him. He opened the parcel and checked the papers to make sure everything was in order. Lance smiled softly, proud of how meticulous Hunk was when making them. Everything was now in order, and all that was left to give them to Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, there was something Lance had to settle first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. So, here are your documents. With these, you’ll be able to travel and go to wherever you want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith reached for them, but Lance only held it out of reach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can take them under one condition.” He knew what he had to say. The words danced on the tip of his tongue, all he had to do was say it. Sure, it would be a little forward, but Lance never felt more sure of anything else before. He had to say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith stared at him with confusion, not quite sure if he understood quite right. Lance couldn’t blame him. Two weeks ago, all Lance wanted to do was get rid of Keith, but now he wasn’t sure if he could part with Keith at all anymore. He needed to be around him as much as he could. He didn’t know why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, he knew why. He was just terrified of scaring Keith off. After all, he was already asking him to stay by his side. He couldn’t dump everything on Keith at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me take care of you. You can stay where I live and we can find your brother’s attacker together. Please.” He reached for Keith's hand, intertwining their fingers together. The buzzing warmth returned once more, much stronger now. Like it was much more sure of its presence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay with me.” Lance repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance…” Keith sighed, looking away from him. “I do not want you to take care of me just because you feel sorry for me. I… I do not think I could take it. Not when I feel so much… for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to pull his hand away, but Lance only gripped it tighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel so much for you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked up to see joy on Lance’s face, eyes brimmed with tears and a smile so bright it could be mistaken for the sun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you to stay by my side because I don’t think I could ever be away from you.” Lance took a confident step closer. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you. Just stay with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lifted his other hand up to Keith cheek, slowly cupping it, and much to his surprise, Keith leaned into it, letting out a sigh of relief. Lance’s heart felt so full, he wasn’t sure how much more he could take before melting into a puddle at Keith’s feet. He leaned in to place his forehead against Keith’s, the contact calmed them both entirely. It was though the world was silenced, making way for the beats of their hearts.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro woke up in his cabin, still trying to process what happened, only to feel a stinging pain in his side. He slowly recalled what happened.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>From The Devil’s Pass, being thrown across the ship, to Akira coming to his rescue.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It suddenly clicked that the ship was calm, no longer rocking violently. He was confused, wondering if Akira had indeed sailed them through the storm and out of the Pass. Slowly, but surely, he got up from his bed. He ignored the searing pains in nearly half of his body, worried about the ship and his crew.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Worried about Akira.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He gripped onto any steady surface he could get his hands on and limped across the room. Finally, he swung the door open, scared of what he might have to face only to be greeted by the sight of his crew laughing and drinking along the deck. It was nighttime and the waters were calm. Everyone seemed to be celebrating and much too occupied to notice that their captain had woken up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Leandro.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Except one apparently.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not so far from where he stood was Akira, a tankard of what Leandro could guess was probably ale in his hand and a look of relief on his face. Soon, one by one, his crew started to draw their attention to Leandro, who could only stare back at Akira. He couldn’t focus on anything else, not even when everyone whooped for joy at their beloved captain’s recovery.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro could hear their ships’ doctor, Coran, scold everyone else telling them to give him some space. He didn’t even realize that everyone began flocking around him. His eyes were still trained on Akira. There was so much to be said and Leandro didn’t know just where to start.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>After a while of eating dinner and catching their captain up to speed on what he had missed after being out cold for three days straight, The Pigeon spoke up, standing on a crate to be seen and heard by Leandro and the rest of the crew.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We had discussed this earlier while you were asleep, captain, but we would like your permission to make Akira, here, first mate.” They announced, followed by murmurs of agreement from everyone else.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro had no problems with this. Akira had saved him and everyone on the ship. If anything, they should be making him captain. He turned to the man in question, sitting not too far from him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Thank you, Pidge, but I believe we must ask the gentleman first if he would like to </span>
  </em>
  <span>officially</span>
  <em>
    <span> be a part of this crew.” Leandro addressed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sure, Akira has been sailing with them for almost a month now, but they hadn’t officially recognized him as part of them just yet. Leandro was more than willing to take him in as one of them, but he wanted to know if Akira was interested in joining them as well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Some of the members who have grown to be friends with Akira patted him on the back, urging him to say yes. Akira simply laughed along with them, yet the look on his face said that he had already made his decision.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Under one condition, captain.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Everyone leaned closer in anticipation.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You actually get some rest and recover. I would not want to be in charge of this ship… yet.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cheers and laughter erupted from the crewmates, some even decided to hoist Akira on their shoulders triumphantly. Eventually, the celebration returned to its initial liveliness and rowdiness. Everyone sang, danced, and drank. Not a single inch of the ship was quiet. Except for the captain’s quarters, of course.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro had retired there for the rest of the night, still recovering from his injuries. However, Akira managed to slip away from the festivities and snuck into the room to check on the captain.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I am glad that you are actually following through with your end of the deal.” Akira chuckled softly, watching Leandro hobble over to his bed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, you drove a hard bargain. Resting in exchange for a first mate who saved us from a poor oversight on my part? How could I refuse?” Leandro flashed him a playful little grin which morphed into a wince from the jolt of pain that ran up his body.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira made a move to go and call Coran, but Leandro showed him he was fine. Still, Akira made sure to be on guard just in case he really had to call the doctor.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I really am glad that you are here, Akira. I must thank you… and apologize.” Lance sighed, getting in bed as carefully as he could. “I was too confident in my own skills and thought we could make it. If it weren’t for you, everyone here would probably have died from my own recklessness.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, if I were not here, you would not have had to sail through the Devil’s pass. I was desperate to get to Sendak. I should have thought things through." Akira shook his head, walking over to Leandro to help him lie down. “I mean, I threatened you and forced you to take me to Sendak.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, you threatened us at first, but have you ever wondered why we never kicked you off board or done anything to get you to leave despite your… ‘agreeable’ personality?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira actually thought about it and realized that he was on </span>
  </em>
  <span>their </span>
  <em>
    <span>ship. He was outnumbered. They could have easily killed him in his sleep or thrown him off the boat. Yet, they warmed up to him and accepted him as one of them. Even to the point of trusting him enough to be making him the first mate. He looked at Leandro with confusion, only to receive a long nonchalant shrug in return.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We all have grudges against Sendak, against Emperor Zarkon, and the Galra Empire in general. But we’re only pirates because we chose to run. We were betrayed when all we wanted was protection. We were all slaves, looking for a way out of the abuse. Sendak promised us a good life, we believed him. Except he abandoned us at the Devil’s Pass long ago the moment he saw the Altean navy. We tried to abandon the ship as well, but it was too late… We were already in the storm.” Leandro explained.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira was quick to put the pieces together, understanding what had happened. Then you sailed the ship out of there and they made you captain.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The young captain nodded, glad he got the hint.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“But we have been running, thinking we were better off just letting him be. But after what happened to your brother… Your determination to get him back for taking his arm… We decided it was time to do something about this monster. We cannot keep running all our lives.” Leandro smiled sympathetically. He was glad to finally have such a civil talk with Akira.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wait… You once said to me that you sailed through the pass twice your entire life. When was the second time?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro’s eyes focused on the patterns up on the wooden ceiling, lost in thought as he recalled what happened way back then. He remained silent for a moment, but eventually the words came to him. His voice was gravelly and somber as he spoke.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“The </span>
  </em>
  <span>first </span>
  <em>
    <span>time was when I was really young. Perhaps twelve or thirteen then, when my family and I were sailing from Altea to Garrison. We were cornered by Galra ships, forced into the pass. The captain and most of the crew was thrown overboard from the waves until it was just my family, me, and maybe some passengers. Pigeon and their family were there too.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He shut his eyes as he tried to ignore the stinging in his body. Leandro took a shaky breath before continuing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It was out of desperation that I grabbed the wheel and everything just came to me. It was like… Like I was meant to sail. We made it out of the pass, but we ran into Emperor Zarkon’s ship. He took the youngest ones from our boat, hoping our fresh minds could be malleable enough to make us a part of his army. Out of the twenty children he took, only Pidge and I survived long enough to be assigned to Commander Sendak. You know the rest from there.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Where is your family now?” Akira was now seated at the foot of Leandro’s bed, but the captain didn’t seem to mind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Altea. They live peacefully there. As much as I would like to join them, I could not abandon my crew. Not when they have put all their faith in me.” Leandro admitted.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira placed a hand on Leandro’s, their eyes locking onto each other in the darkness as he spoke. “You do not have to carry that alone… You can put your faith in me. We’ll end Sendak together and you’ll go home to your family.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You just want to be captain, don’t you?” Leandro teased, a soft chuckle rumbling in his chest.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His first mate simply replied to that with, “If it means you can finally rest, be with your family… Lift the weight off of your shoulders, I’d gladly take on the burden. You and your crew have been too kind to me, and I would do anything to repay that kindness. I’d do anything… for you...”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And just like that, there were no more things to be said between them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For the first time since Akira had boarded the Blue Lion, the two of them were simply sitting there in silence. Akira stayed in the cabin till Leandro fell asleep, making sure he was comfortable and didn’t need anything else.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Since that night, something blossomed between the two of them over the course of the next few weeks. A mutual trust, a strong bond. They still bickered every now and then, but that there was something different about their relationship. Their jests held no malice or venom behind them, just lighthearted banter.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And before they realized it, every little thing they would do together held a deeper meaning behind them. Gazes turned softer, touches were gentler. Some nights, they would sit out on the deck in each others’ company.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They would talk about who they used to be and who they saw themselves becoming in the future, be it near or distant. They opened themselves to each other as they would share their thoughts with each other, leaving their hearts vulnerable and bare. But neither of them were complaining.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not when they sat down a little closer to each other.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not when Akira leaned his head against Leandro’s shoulder, or when Leandro would tuck stray strands of Akira’s long hair behind his ear.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And most certainly not when they shared a kiss beneath the stars as they sat on the bow of the Lion. No words were said, just the press of their lips against each other was more than enough.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>After hugging everyone goodbye, Keith and Lance walked over to the boarding gate. The farewells were bittersweet with the promise to visit again very soon. And this time, Lance had every intention to return. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nervous?” He asked Keith, who was looking around with fascination. Well, Keith always looked at everything with fascination. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Keith shook his head in response. “Quite excited, actually. I was born in the water, so being up in the air would be a new experience, but a welcome one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance brought Keith’s hand up to his lips and planted a kiss on Keith’s knuckles, keeping his eyes on his lover. If someone had told Lance a few weeks ago that he’d fall for a mermaid and that he’d fall hard, he would have thought they were probably high on some high quality drugs for coming up with such a bizarre fantasy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But here he was, hand in hand with the sweetest guy he’s ever met, about to take a plane back to where he lived and have him move in. It felt so surreal, like it was all a dream. And even if it were a dream, Lance would never want to wake up again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finally reached their seats, and Lance let Keith take the window seat as he stowed their carry-on bags in the overhead compartment. It amused Lance how relaxed and excited Keith was at the prospect of flying. He was like a little kid, it was quite adorable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance slid into the seat next to his boyfriend’s and Keith automatically rested his head on his shoulder. Lance looked at Keith, his heart overflowing with so much emotion at the sight of Keith snuggled up against him. It was too much for his poor heart to handle. In a good way, of course. Lance could only rest his own head against Keith’s in return. They both stayed that way as the plane took off into the skies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith squeezed Lance’s hand a little tighter as he looked through the window, marvelling at the clouds outside. His eyes were wide with delight and Lance took the opportunity to take a picture or two of him and his starstruck expression, wanting nothing more than to freeze this scene in time. He wanted to live in this blissful moment forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Years of being in the deepest parts of the ocean, now I am up in the sky.” Keith sighed, tearing his eyes from the window to look at Lance, who was staring at him with a loving gaze. “I never knew it would be so beautiful up here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t think the ocean is beautiful?” Lance asked, wanting to hear more of Keith’s thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you see a sight every single day, you tend to forget just how beautiful it truly is. Perhaps this was the reason I was born in the ocean.” Keith resumed staring at the sky, completely entranced by the view before him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you know that we believe our kind to be reincarnations of people who died at sea?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance raised an eyebrow at that, growing more and more curious. He’s never heard that tale before. And to think it was coming directly from a mermaid. He leaned in closer, resting his elbow in the arm rest to listen more intently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith turned to see Lance looking at him expectantly, gesturing for him to continue with the lore. He giggled softly, making sure to keep his voice low enough that only Lance could hear him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our people believe that the ocean hears the pleas of those who die at sea, especially those who die from drowning, taking their soul and making it a part of the life in the ocean, giving them another chance to fulfill a promise or a bargain. There are those who set out to make a new destiny for themselves, while some finally find peace in their new reincarnations, some tie up loose ends they left behind in the past, and there are  who others reunite with loved ones they never wanted to part with.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh really now?” Lance remarked as Keith rubbed his own thumb along his knuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded, pulling Lance’s hand to press a kiss on it. His lips lingered for a while and with each passing second, Lance could feel Keith smile more and more against his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you believe in, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We shall see, won’t we?” Keith answered, finally pulling away from Lance’s hand, only to press a kiss against Lance’s lips instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the airport, Lance took Keith straight to his apartment so they could put their bags down and probably go sightseeing for a bit. Everything looked so different from Lance’s hometown that he couldn’t help but melt at the wide-eyed look on Keith’s face as he looked around through the taxi’s window. He could remember the first time he came to this city, and just how amazed he was at everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reached Lance’s apartment and showed Keith around. Everything was much more spacious than the humble home Lance grew up in. In fact, Lance never realized how lonely everything felt. Now that Keith was there, the whole apartment seemed like it was much brighter, much livelier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance left their bags in his room, to be dealt with later, and tugged Keith back out the place to take him around the city.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>"How are you this evening, captain?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro turned to see Akira, his first mate, stand there, balancing two plates of food in one arm and two tankards of ale in the other. He quickly took the plates from Akira's arm, laughing at the sight. Not so long ago, Akira would refuse to eat anywhere near Leandro, but now there he was, bringing him food and a drink.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Much better now that you have brought me dinner." He beamed and flashed Akira a wink for good measure.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Flattery shall get you nowhere, my dearest captain." Akira rolled his eyes playfully, setting the large mugs down on a barrel by them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro placed the plates down as well and leaned against the mast, a playful smile on his face and a glint in his irises. “Oh? And what, pray tell, will actually earn your affections, my treasure?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“A kiss. I will not accept anything less than that.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He took Akira’s hand, pulling it up to his lips and planted a kiss on his knuckles. “Does this suffice?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hmm… No.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro turned his lover’s hand over to plant a kiss on his wrist. “How about now?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Still no.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He slowly kissed his way up Akira’s arm, eliciting soft giggles from him. He began at his forearm to his bicep, shoulder, then on the crook of his neck, beneath his ear, along his jaw to finally reach his cheek. The kiss lingered a moment longer on the soft skin there.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Leandro!” Akira whined, getting impatient.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The pirate captain could only laugh in return, pulling Akira flush against him as he tugged his arm around his neck. Akira followed his lead, slinging his arm over Leandro’s opposite shoulder, while Leandro rested both hands on Akira’s hips. He drank in the sight of Akira so close to him, memorizing every little detail before leaning in to press their lips together.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro pulled away with a sigh, pressing their foreheads together as they simply held each other in their arms. The world stilled in that instant and nothing else mattered.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not the ship, not Sendak</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was then that Leandro realized he could not wait any longer. He needed to ask Akira. It was now or never.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Marry me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira pulled away slightly, just enough to look at Leandro’s face clearly. “Are you serious?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I… You do not have to say yes.” Leandro panicked, terrified that he might’ve scared his lover with his question. “I just want you to know that I love you and I would love to marry you someday. We don’t have to rush it! Though, me asking is probably a sign of rushing--”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Leandro.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He may be the captain, but he would do anything Akira asked of him in a heartbeat, maybe even quicker. He stilled himself, waiting for what was to come, but terrified that he might have ruined things between them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira simply smiled and nodded, “I’d love nothing more than to marry you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro thanked the gods again and again as he swooped Akira into his arms and spun him around, peppering his face with kisses. Their laughter filled the evening air, the moment being nothing short of perfect.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When they finally stopped spinning and the captain finally set his first mate back down on the deck, they pulled each other into another kiss despite their breathlessness.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They soon had to part for air, still smiling widely at each other.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Someday, my treasure, you shall meet my family. I have no doubts that my mother will love you the moment she meets you.” Leandro declared, tucking Akira’s hair behind his ear. “I will take you back to Altea and we shall put this all behind us. This I promise you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira simply smiled in return, unable to say anything else.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It may have only been a few months since they’ve known each other, but they both knew why Leandro asked and why Akira said yes. Neither had to say it for they didn’t want to ruin such a precious moment between them, but they knew and they understood.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were headed to a land of death with no guarantees of making it out alive. If they were to go down, they’d do it as husbands. They wouldn’t want it any other way.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Life couldn’t be better than it currently was for both Lance and Keith. They spent the next few days going around, seeing sights. They’d stay out till three in the morning then spend the rest of the day indoors just laying in bed or watching movies. It was much easier to spend time together now there weren’t nosy siblings and parents lurking around or sleeping in the next room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One particular morning, Lance woke up to make breakfast and retrieve some mail. The first few envelopes were just “inquiries” regarding his job. Some people preferred sending him actual mail as it was much easier to get rid of. Just set it on fire and all traces of the letter would disappear, rather than an email which could be retrieved, especially by Pidge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Among everything he looked through, there was one letter that stood out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a black envelope, which Lance could only recognize was from an underground market that sold antiques and rare artifacts. The people that ran the place were a nasty bunch, notorious for killing clients that failed to meet deadlines or requirements in the most gruesome ways. That was how they kept their reputation of having nothing but the finest and most valuable relics. They made sure they had their hands on high quality products and nothing less.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In it was a note asking Lance for an update on the “remarkable oceanic discovery” he made. They informed him of a research on mermaids and sea creatures that they had been conducting for years, and that they were more than eager to get their hands on what Lance had found. They also made sure to mention the amount he would receive, which exceeded what he expected the pay to be. With that much cash, he would be set for life and would never have to work ever again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance could only frown at the paper in his hands. He had almost forgotten about his email. Two weeks could really change a person, and he was such a different person then. He crumpled the letter, tossing it over towards the bin carelessly. He had to go over and give them a piece of his mind. He wasn’t going to give Keith up no matter how much he was offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced over at Keith’s sleeping figure and smiled softly. Just the sight of his lover alone was more than enough for him to be content. He silently swore to protect Keith with every last bit of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned in closer to press a gentle kiss against Keith’s temple, before getting up to go out and settle some matters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance messaged a representative of the underground company to meet him so that he could explain his side. He knew that these men were the type to kill clients that didn’t meet their standards, but Lance had… leverage. Perks of his jobs was that he knew everything about almost everyone, and he knew how to keep people’s mouths shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He informed Pidge and Hunk of the situation. Pidge did give him an earful, scolding him on not thinking things through, but still agreed to help along with Hunk. That's what Lance loved about his friends. No matter the situation, they were both so loyal and always helped each other out. Lance promised he’d make it up to them and even introduce them to Keith once this was over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The meeting with the representative went as smoothly as Lance expected. He kept Pidge and Hunk on call as he bargained with the man just in case anything happened. Soon, the exchange was made and without any hindrances. The representative agreed to let Lance off the hook in exchange for not leaking their information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment the representative got up and left, Lance felt so much lighter, deciding to go out and maybe buy Keith some food for him to try and a sweater or two. He had come to find that Keith loves sweaters, especially the big and comfortable ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance was halfway through picking out some clothes for his boyfriend when Pidge called in once again. When Lance picked up, he was worried to hear them frantic and in a state of panic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance. I tapped into the rep’s phone as he was leaving just to make sure everything was set in stone and shit but guess what I fucking hear?! They saw you and Keith at Varadero, so they know what he looks like and are out to fucking get him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance instantly dropped everything and bolted for his car to drive back to his apartment. He had given Keith the freedom to come and go as he pleased, so Lance was terrified that Keith may have left the apartment. He dialled Keith’s number and was more than relieved that he picked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, I need you to listen to me, okay? Are you--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How could you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confusion filled Lance’s head, unsure of what Keith was talking about. “Love, I told you I’d leave early sometimes. I’m on my way back right now. But I need you to li--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were supposed to sell me?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance’s blood ran cold. He figured Keith must’ve found the letter he had tossed to the bin, remembering that it didn’t go in at all. Keith must’ve picked it up and read it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, look--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was this your plan all along?!” Keith growled, the anger in his voice sending pains to Lance’s chest. “To earn my trust then sell me to have me experimented on?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! It’s not like that! Please, Keith. Listen to me, I didn’t mean it. I didn’t know then, I… I was…” The words died in Lance’s throat, unable to form a coherent thought. “Please. Keith, just stay in the apartment. Okay? We’ll talk this through. I’ll explain everything to you when I get there. Please, just stay in the apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay in the apartment so you could bring the buyers here to take me? Is that it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! Please! Keith, they’re looking for you right now. If you leave, they’ll--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I cannot trust you after this. I can’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The phone beeped, signaling the end of the call and terror filled Lance’s body once more. He tried calling Keith again and again only for it to be rejected every time. Eventually, he stopped, placing his focus on driving to the apartment safely. He had to get to the apartment before Keith could leave. He needed to fix it all. But Lance needed Keith to be safe if he were to fix everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance arrived at the building and headed up to his floor as quickly as he could, hoping he was not too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swung the door open, calling out to Keith as he checked every single room only to find the entire apartment to be empty. Keith was gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance told Pidge to track Keith’s phone before dialling Keith’s number once again, and it rang for a bit. He prayed that Keith was alright and didn’t go far, hoping that he could catch up to him. Eventually, Keith picked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, hey. Listen. Okay? Look, I'm so, so sorry for everything. Yes, I was supposed to sell you off, but the more I spent time with you, I realized that’s not what I want. What I want is you. I want you here with me. I need you here with me. So, please, angel. Come back, okay? Keith?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance’s brows furrowed into a frown as he realized that in his panicked state, he didn’t hear a sound from Keith’s end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith sounded like he’d been crying, like he’s in pain. Lance was now losing his mind from just how terrified he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith! Are you okay?! Where are you?!” He practically screamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A foreign voice suddenly overlapped Keith’s labored breathing. “We get what we want, Mr. McClain. You think you can outsmart us? Never.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you touch a fucking hair on his head, I swear to fucking god I’ll--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man laughed, only fueling Lance’s rage even further. “Oh, I think you should worry about yourself first, Mr. McClain. The cops are probably right outside your door right now. Good luck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment the call was dropped, Lance could hear Pidge shouting in his earpiece and before he knew it, the door was being busted down, a group of armed men spilling in the apartment, their guns pointed at him. Lance wanted to run, but he knew he was at a disadvantage. He could only put his hands up in surrender.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>The clash of metal and the firing of guns were all Leandro could hear around him as he made a mad dash for Akira who was being cornered by two soldiers. He drew his pistol, aiming for one of them and getting an instant bullseye with one clean shot. Akira took the opportunity to take down the other remaining opponent. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The moment Leandro finally reached his first mate, they instantly pressed their backs against each other, covering each others’ blind spots. Akira was wielding his own cutlass and a sword he stole from some poor soul along the way. Leandro brandished two pistols, each shot hitting his target with deadly aim.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“How did they find us?!” Akira called out over the sounds of the battle.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I do not know! But Romelle spotted two more ships headed this way. We are running out of options.” Leandro admitted, getting more and more unsure of what they could possibly do now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, we do have one plan. Fight.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro chuckled. “As long as you’re by my side, treasure, I can do </span>
  </em>
  <span>anything</span>
  <em>
    <span>!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And fighting was exactly what they did. They took down their enemies one by one, covering for each other and looking out for each other’s back. But no matter how many enemies they fought, the number of soldiers kept on increasing. They tried sailing away, but they were blocked off on all corners. No matter where they turned, there was a large shit blocking their way.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Suddenly, from the largest ship came a booming laughter. It’s familiarity made Leandro’s skin crawl. The source of the sound, Commander Sendak, jumped from his ship and onto the Blue Lion.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro turned to his lover to see Akira already in a fighting stance. Leandro made sure to be ready with him, aiming for the man’s head. He was going to let Akira have the liberties of taking the Commander down, but he made sure to have his gun at the ready just in case.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Akira charged, Leandro right behind him, and he slashed away at every single enemy, slowly making his way towards the Commander.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But just as Akira swung at Sendak, metal collided with his own. The commander blocked Akira’s attack, and even when Leandro aimed straight for his head, he simply blocked that as well. The couple began a different type of approach by attacking together and alternately, but Sendak managed to block it all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The two were so engulfed in their battle against the Commander that they failed to notice the soldiers that were making their way to them and striking them from behind, the two pirates getting knocked out cold.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Lance sat in the interrogation room, head in his hands as he had been trying for the past two hours to convince the detective to let him go and that the life of his boyfriend was on the line. However, the detective was just as stubborn as him, not relenting for even a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the detective left the room after being called over by another cop, leaving Lance alone once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had questioned him over and over again for the names of his accomplices, telling him that they would listen to him if he would simply give them the names of his friends. And as much as Lance wanted to just go to Keith, he would never betray his friends like that. He simply stayed silent whenever they asked him for their names and insisted that there were worse things at stake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the detective returned, his face was less… strained. Like he was given information he needed to hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your friends turned themselves in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance scoffed, not believing him for a second. “Bullshit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They told me to tell you ‘Rover’. Said that you’d get what that means.” the detective informed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance’s eyes widened at that. That was a codeword he, Pidge, and Hunk agreed on in case they were placed in a situation where they had to confirm that it really was them. They never used it unless they were truly compromised, but Lance still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that his friends were there. They had made a promise that if one of them were to get caught, the others had to get away, no questions asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, they insisted they would do anything in return for your release. They promised information and aid, but you… what can you offer us?” the detective asked, raising his eyebrow expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked down at the flat surface of the table, frowning. What could he possibly have to offer? He had nothing extremely of use, but he wanted to get to Keith. He needed to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be your informant. I know everything about every criminal, every dirty businessmen, even illegal markets. You name it, I can help you. They trust me as well. I’ve worked for many of them, I can get a hold of them and help you take them in. But please, you must help me get Keith back.” Lance pleaded, finally breaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The detective looked pleased with his words, taking a seat in front of Lance. “Alright. Where is this Keith?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pidge would know where he is. Please.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No! No, please! Please, let him go! Akira!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leandro wriggled against where he was pinned down, limbs flailing helplessly against their restraints. Tears streamed down his face as he watched the love of his life stand at the edge of the plank, gagged and bound with a metal ball chained to his ankle. Akira stared back with terror in his own tear-filled eyes, unable to do anything else to save his beloved. The rest of their crew could only watch helplessly, blades pressed to their throats and guns pointed at their heads.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“How touching. Young love. I’ll be a little lenient and allow you to say your goodbyes.” Sendak snickered, taking Akira’s fallen cutlass from the floor and reaching over to slice at the cloth gagging Akira, cutting his cheek in the process, but freeing his mouth all the same.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please...” He spoke, his breath was shaky as he stood at the edge. There was no way out of this, no matter how he tried. He could only stare at his lover with the firmest gaze he could muster.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Promise you will find me again…” Akira mustered a small smile, not wanting the last expression Leandro would see to be one of pain or sadness.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I love you, Leandro.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I love you too… Akira, I love you.” He sobbed in reply before turning to the soldier drawing closer to his lover who was barely an inch from falling into the water. “Please, don’t do this. Please. No. No!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>With no remorse, the soldier kicked Akira off board, the metal ball falling after him to make him sink further down. The last thing Akira remembers hearing was Leandro’s screams, a gunshot, then silence.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The ride to the site felt way too long that Lance would have liked. The detective, Mr. Kolivan, was driving at top speed, but it wasn’t enough for Lance. His boyfriend, his Keith was in trouble and he didn’t know just how much more time he had left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re almost there.” Kolivan announced, as if he was reading Lance’s mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually the base came into view and Lance readied himself with the gun they gave him. Pidge was giving him information in his earpiece, which in all honesty Lance was unable to fully absorb. He was too busy thinking of Keith, of the love of his life, trapped there, alone and afraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance. Listen to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned to look at Kolivan in the eyes, comforted by the confidence and the sternness in them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever happens, do not engage without backup unless completely necessary.” Kolivan told him, parking the car in a hidden area. “We will be there when you give the signal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance gave Kolivan a reassuring nod before taking off into the building. It was surprisingly empty, but that put Lance even more on his guard. Pidge guided him through the building, leading him to the basement and downwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a bit more walking, Lance finally came up to a large room that looked like an aquarium observation deck. He took a closer look around to find Keith, beaten up and unconscious in a corner with his limbs all tied up. Lance was practically seeing red. He wanted nothing more than to shoot every single person in the basement, but he recalled what Detective Kolivan had told him, so he held back. He had a better shot at getting Keith back if he had help from others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He noticed a crate not so far from where Keith laid, with words that said “Zarkon Industries”. Lance was very familiar with that industry. They had a front as a business that specialized in producing construction material, however they held an underground business of selling illegal items and conducting dangerous experiments. This was probably one of the multiple sites they had. Lance could only imagine what the horrors the other locations had, but he shook the images from his mind. His only focus was Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one had noticed him yet, so he took the time to observe a little longer. From what he could see, there was a stocky, but buff man that was ordering men around. This guy was probably the head of this facility. Lance could shoot him right then and there, but that would only alarm the rest of the staff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, he needed every person in the room to be busy with him so that the rest of the backup could take everyone with ease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When no other plan could form in his mind, Lance stood up from where he crouched and called out to the scientists and others to look over at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You assholes will pay for even touching him.” he growled, praying that the backup the detective promised would show up as soon as he said they would.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance made sure to put on a whole dramatic show, garnering the attention of everyone around. He tried his best to keep his calm as the head of the facility continued to berate Keith, looking down at his lover if he was some sort of toy. Lance wanted nothing more than to shoot that man between the eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a miracle that the rest of the backup did show up. It felt like ages had passed before then. Lance heaved a breath of relief when the people Kolivan promised spilled in through the doors, taking every single person in the facility into custody.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance, on the other hand, bolted over to Keith and scooped his unconscious form in his arms, close to tears at the sight of his lover all bruised and bloodied mercilessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith!” He all but sobbed as he held his boyfriend close against himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Medics attended to Keith and took him to the hospital in an instant, where he was taken care of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith woke up about a day later, still injured but recovering rapidly which was such a relief. Yet, no matter how much Lance tried to talk to Keith, to apologize to him, no words left his lips. He refused to talk. Lance chalked it up to just the shock from the events prior. Until after a day or so, when Kolivan came into Keith’s room and asked him a few questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had felt like it had been forever since he'd heard his boyfriend speak, but upon hearing Keith’s voice once again, Lance felt like he could finally rest easy. He was glad to know Keith was alright, but it did send a few painful pangs to his chest to know Keith just wouldn’t talk to him specifically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>About a few days later, Keith was discharged and Lance took him home to his apartment. He did his best to make Keith feel comfortable and talked to him every single day, but still, nothing. Keith would not even acknowledge him. This went on for about a month, and didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey… I just wanted to bring you some food… I’ll… I’ll let you be, okay? Eat well, love.” Lance sighed, turning to leave after placing the tray of food in front of Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But right before Lance could leave, that was when he heard it. It was soft, but it was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In an instant, Lance found himself by Keith’s side once again. Hope blooming in his chest after so, so long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More days pass and Keith starts talking to Lance more and more. It was a slow process, but Lance was more than happy to take his time with it. He was patient with Keith all the way, and before he realized it, they were slowly growing back into the same trust they once had in each other. Lance was able to hold Keith in his arms, to kiss him. It was a huge breath of relief for both of them to finally be able to fix what they once had, and maybe even make it stronger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One evening, Lance was cooking dinner for the two of them. It was a particularly lazy day, so the air was calm and Keith played music through the speakers in the apartment, letting each note, each melody fill his soul entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance had finished stirring the soup and took a spoonful, blowing on it gently for Keith. Once he was sure it was at a reasonable temperature, Lance held the spoon out to him, expecting Keith to take the spoon from his hand as he’s always done before, but all thoughts flew out the window when Keith drank the soup without taking the spoon, allowing Lance to feed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A smile spread on Keith’s lips, showing Lance that he knew just what he was doing, and Lance simply wrapped Keith up in his arms, pulling him close and pressing a loving kiss to his lips, savoring the taste of soup and the promise of forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they parted, Keith sighed as he placed his forehead against his lover’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, my treasure.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day 7: Internet Friends AU (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Keith has been talking to this guy for a while now. However, things aren't what they seem on the surface.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am actually quite proud with the storyline I have planned for this. This was actually a fic I had uploaded about two years ago, but ultimately decided to delete it because I was scared and insecure of my writing then. But now, I thought I should try and give it it a chance once more. I hope y'all enjoy it!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Keith felt his phone buzz in his pocket and all the drowsiness in him practically wore off. He looked up to see the teacher writing on the whiteboard, so he took it as an opportunity to read the message as discreetly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: pepperoni pizza or carbonara pasta?</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>He smiled inwardly, typing his response.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: pasta. pls. for the love of all thats good in the world get the pasta</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: pizza it is then ;)))</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Keith shook his head in exasperation, the smile still wide on his face. He was just about to give a response to that when Mr. Iverson’s voice boomed from across the room.</p><p>“Mr. Kogane, care to show to the class just what’s so interesting on that phone of yours?”</p><p>He quickly pocketed his phone, shaking his head. “Nothing, sir. Just a scam text.”</p><p>Iverson narrowed his eyes at Keith for a moment before returning to his discussion. Keith figured he was already at such a risk of getting detention, and he wanted nothing more than to go home early this time. Well, whenever it was Iverson, he was always at the risk of getting detention. Keith swore Iverson was out to get him.</p><p>The moment class ended, he quickly pulled out his phone, about to type a message to Blue when he ran into someone. His phone fell out of his hand and onto the floor, and Keith looked up to see James Griffin, the worst possible person to be running into. </p><p>“Gee, Kogane. Why don’t you actually watch where you’re going for once?” James scoffed, his posse behind him snickering as if he said something so interesting.</p><p>He knew indulging James would only make things worse, so Keith chose to ignore him and reached for his phone. However, he was unable to grab it as someone else snatched it up from the floor faster than him.</p><p>“Ha ha. Very mature, Lance. Give it back.” He rolled his eyes, trying to reach for his phone which Lance, the guy who grabbed it, only held further away from him.</p><p>Keith hated Lance much, much more than James. Because unlike the latter, Lance was once Keith’s friend during their first year. It was when James came around that Lance began drifting away, and soon turning into a carbon copy of James.</p><p>He didn't care what reason Lance had for his change, it hurt Keith because he actually used to like Lance. He adored that once-dorky personality of his. Turns out, nothing good lasts forever.</p><p>Lance smirked, turning the phone over to look at what was displayed on the screen. In that instant, his face fell, his expression was unreadable, and Keith paled as he watched Lance read his messages. He knew he had to do something, anything quick.</p><p>Thankfully, Lance was too distracted reading the conversation, giving Keith the opportunity to take his phone back and stuff it in his pocket. He gave Lance a piercing glare, a silent warning to back off before pushing past him and the rest of his friend group. He didn’t want to stay and see what other things they have up their sleeves for him. He was too tired to deal with their antics and just wanted to go home.</p><p>When Keith was finally out of the building and away from James and his followers, he pulled his phone out once again and retyped his message, needing to vent a little bit.</p><p>His friend, bluecheeseboy, or as he calls him, Blue, was someone he met about a few months after Lance, his only friend, ditched him. Keith was starting to get lonely, but by then James had deemed him a social outcast, which was honestly pure bullshit to Keith. He didn’t understand how James’ opinion shaped everyone else’s. Then again, this was high school. People would do anything to look cool, even if it meant being an asshole.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: some grade a asshole just took my phone</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: i think he read our convo but idk</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: does grade a asshole have a name? I jus wanna talk to him :)))</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Keith couldn’t help but smile, an ache in his chest soothed. He had to admit that he was crushing on his online friend. Sure, he’s never seen Blue’s face before or even engaged in calls yet, but Blue was always there when he needed him. When he needed someone to talk to or share some thoughts with, Blue was more than willing to listen.</p><p>He also found Blue to be really funny and always up for anything. They had different tastes and interests, but no topic was too boring when it came to him. They’d debate every now and then about their opposing preferences, but they’d also learn to like the same things too. Keith started watching different kinds of movies and listening to different kinds of movies after because of Blue. He was not sure if he had the same effect on him, but he could dream.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: his names Lanxe</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: *Lance</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: hes some prick i used to be friends with a while back</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>A few minutes went by and Blue still hadn’t sent a reply despite having seen the message already. Keith frowned slightly, but didn’t make a huge deal about it. Though he knew Blue to be a fast replier, he figured something probably came up. He pocketed his phone once again and continued his walk home.</p><p>Along the way, Keith couldn’t help but wonder what was so riveting in his conversation with Blue that got Lance to freeze up like that. Was he weirded out that Keith had an online friend? Did he not like the fact that he actually had a friend? Was Lance that obsessed with making Keith’s life miserable that even the idea alone that Keith could make friends was so disgusting to him?</p><p>Keith finally made it to the apartment and made a beeline for his room only to be stopped by Adam halfway through.</p><p>“Okay, before you lock yourself in your tower, Rapunzel, I am now begging you to please do your laundry at some point before the sun rises. Please.”</p><p>Keith nodded, remembering how he was out of clean underwear already. He was definitely going to do his laundry this time. Once Adam let him go, he began gathering the clothes he discarded in a pile in a corner and carried them to the washing machine. He could feel Adam’s eyes boring holes into the back of his head as he passed him. He could almost literally see the relief fill the air from where he was.</p><p>Keith was currently living with his brother’s fiance as his apartment was much closer to the school, plus his brother was always out of town, so Adam was his guardian for the time being. Keith basically saw him as family long before Shiro even proposed.</p><p>He finally set the timer and hit start when his phone buzzed in his pocket after what seemed like ages of waiting. Keith was filled with eagerness to continue chatting with Blue.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: whyd you guys break up? Or fall out.. Or like.. Yknow.. You get it. What happened??</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: idk he just became someone else. stopped hanging out with me and stuff like that.. hes a douchebag now</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: he was actually really fun and cool.. like to the point i actually ended up liking him</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: like..</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: no homo kind of like?</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: all the homo kind of like</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: ew das gay</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: mf you know im gay</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Say hi to Blue for me.”</p><p>Keith looked over his shoulder, in the direction of where Adam probably was. His expression was filled with both shock and fear as he stood in the bathroom, dumbfounded at how he knew he was talking to Blue. And like the mind-reading demon Keith suspected Adam to be, he called out from the other side of the wall.</p><p>“I can hear your lovesick giggling from here. You’re not subtle, you know?”</p><p>He rolled his eyes, deciding to not give in to that. His brother may be the more childish one in their relationship, but Adam was ruthless when it came to teasing. Keith knew he would never let him live it down if he continued to let Adam have his way.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: but srsly tho.. You liked him??</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: why? jealous? ;)</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: but yeah i used to like him.. not anymore tho</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Keith was now laying in his room, grinning like a mad man at his phone as he awaited a response. He loved just how easy it was to talk to Blue. Well, there was the factor of not having to talk to him face to face, but considering how hard it was for Keith to make friends, this was a breath of relief to him.</p><p>There were no holds barred. The kind of anonymity they between had made it easier for Keith to speak his mind. They didn’t know each other’s real names, nor did they give any personal information that could give away their identities. But it wasn’t the lack of trust between them. They just preferred it that way. Though, Keith did have to admit that he was curious to know the boy behind the screen on a deeper level.</p><p>Keith was so deep in the moment that he was almost startled by his screen being overtaken by his brother’s caller ID. He rolled his eyes, but answered it nonetheless.</p><p>“What do you want, old man?” he groaned, sitting up properly against the headrest.</p><p>Shiro pouted at him through the screen. He was in what looked like a hotel, and Keith could see through the window behind Shiro that it was quite early in the morning.</p><p>“I just wanted to check on my baby brother. How are you Keith?”</p><p>Keith scoffed, giving him a face of disgust. “Stop calling me that.”</p><p>“What? ‘Keith’? You want me to stop calling you ‘Keith’? You planning on changing your name?” Shiro teased, walking over to a different end of the room.</p><p>“Yeah. Then fake my death and run away with a trucker named Bubba.”</p><p>His brother laughed at that, recognizing the reference in an instant. “Ah, Dawson’s Creek. Blue has really worked his way into that empty void of a heart, huh?”</p><p>“Shut up, Shiro.” Keith groaned. “I regret telling you and Adam about Blue. You guys are the worst.”</p><p>“And you’re an angsty emo teen. Live with it.” Shiro was now walking out the door, pulling his luggage behind him with his free hand. “Anyway, I just wanted to check up on you and tell you that I’ll be home in two days.”</p><p>“Okay. Have a safe flight. Well… flights.”</p><p>“Thanks, Keith. I’ll see you.”</p><p>And with that the call ended.</p><p>As much as Keith liked to bicker and act disgusted around his brother, he couldn’t help but be worried for him. He did care about Shiro after all. He was the one who practically raised him. Shiro was now working as an airline pilot and was constantly travelling, but he always made the time to check on Keith. Keith could never emphasize just how much that meant to him.</p><p>All those years of caring for him has led Keith to trust Shiro, and Adam as well since they were a package deal, enough to share many things about himself with them like regarding Blue and his little crush on his online buddy. He just didn’t have anyone else he could fully trust anymore. There were a few others who were also deemed by James and his clique as outcasts, and they had formed a little group of their own, but Keith had enough of making friends. He didn’t want to risk being stabbed in the back again.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: so did u talk him about why he stopped being friends with u? He might have his reasons you know</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: no. dont wanna. hes irredeemable to me</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: well you should try it</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: maybe he still wants be friends with you and just has reasons for being the way that he is now</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: what reasons could he have for being a prick that would actually be reasonable??</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: and fpr the record</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: *for</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: hes been treating me like shit under his shoe ever since so i doubt he still wants to be friends</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>bluecheeseboy: well you should prolly talk to him about that bc maybe then he’d give you a reason</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: nah. hes still a prick</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>RedMenace23: if he wanted to friends with me, hed actually talk to me himself</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>After Keith sent that message, Blue stopped replying. Which was a little strange since he always says that he has to leave to let Keith know, but Keith brushed it off again. Although, he probably would never admit it, especially to Adam or Shiro, but he was a little sad at that. He always has so much fun talking to Blue, he could chat for hours without end. Of course, he doesn’t because they have to sleep and go to school, but that doesn’t make it any better.</p><p>The next day, Keith checked for any messages, but still none. He simply pocketed his phone and continued with his day. He didn’t make anything of it, but the radio silence continued for the next few days, till eventually, a week had passed and Blue had not even read any of his messages.</p><p>Keith was starting to get a little worried. He tried to convince himself that everything was fine and Blue was probably just really busy or maybe lost his phone. But he couldn’t help it. He’s gotten used to talking to Blue every single day without fail that it felt really strange to not hear from him at all.</p><p>He sent a few messages to check up on his friend, but Blue didn’t even read them. Keith didn’t want to sound desperate or needy, so he kept everything short and simple. And it wasn’t like he had anything extremely riveting to say anyway.</p><p>Well, not yet.</p><p>One afternoon, while Keith was on his way home, he was approached by none other than Lance McClain, himself. Keith kept his eyes straight ahead and continued walking, but Lance grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him aside to a secluded area.</p><p>“What the fuck do you want this time, Lance?”</p><p>Lance looked like he was on guard for something, constantly glancing around as if to check if anyone was around before letting go of Keith’s wrist and finally saying something. “I just… I wanted to talk to you.”</p><p>“Whatever it was, I didn’t do it. Just leave me alone.” Keith huffed, stepping to the side to walk around him, but was instantly hindered by Lance stepping in front of him.</p><p>“Keith, please. Just hear me out.” Lance pleaded, glancing over his shoulder for a bit. “I… I know these past years, we haven’t been talking or anything--”</p><p>“Understatement.”</p><p>“-- but I want you to know that I didn’t mean to ditch you.”</p><p>Keith frowned with confusion. He didn’t expect this at all, and he was extremely confused as to why he was telling him this now after all this time. “Okay…? Thanks, I guess…?”</p><p>Lance sighed, shaking his head before running his fingers through his hair. There was clearly something else he wanted to say, but Keith wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was.</p><p>“Look. If you’re trying to apologize and shit, no thank you. You’re three years too late, Lance. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” He finally managed to get past Lance but what his former friend said next stopped him from leaving.</p><p>“How about bluecheeseboy?”</p><p>Keith whipped around, frowning at him. He remembered Lance had seen his messages with Blue and began wondering if Blue’s absence had something to do with this.</p><p>“What about him?”</p><p>Lance raised his hands, trying to get Keith to calm down. “Would you listen to what he had to say?”</p><p>Suddenly, a thought popped into Keith’s head. And he didn’t like it one bit. He could only pray that it wasn’t true.</p><p>“What the fuck are you talking about, Lance?” He grit his teeth, his heart rate increasing rapidly. The anticipation was eating him up inside.</p><p>“That I am Blue.”</p><p>Keith felt like he was drowning in cement at that moment. He didn’t know what to say to those words. But most importantly, he didn’t want to believe it for a second. </p><p>“If you’re trying to make fun of me, Lance, I swear I’m going to actually beat the shit out of you--”</p><p>The look on Lance’s face was serious. There was no teasing or smugness behind it. And Keith felt like he was suffocating even more. He didn’t want to believe it. He really didn’t. He couldn’t.</p><p>Lance’s expression changed to a sadder one. “Keith, I am bluecheeseboy. I didn’t want to believe it either, but when we talked last week… The one where you called me a grade A asshole… Keith, I swear, I am not making fun of you. Just… Here.”</p><p>Lance took his phone from his pocket and looked through it before handing it to Keith.</p><p>As much as Keith tried to convince himself that this wasn’t real, the conversation on Lance’s phone was more than enough proof that what he was saying was true. Keith felt sick to the stomach as everything came rushing in. All these years, he’s been talking to Lance and even started crushing on him all over again.</p><p>“How long have you known?” His voice was barely a whisper now.</p><p>Lance shrugged, “A week. Ever since I read our convo on your phone.”</p><p>Keith gave the phone back to Lance, feeling lightheaded from the revelation. He wanted to scream or hit something, but he settled on looking at Lance dead in the eyes, tears in his own as he spoke.</p><p>“Leave me alone.”</p><p>With that he bolted off, tuning out the sound of Lance’s voice calling out to him. He just ran till he got to the apartment, pushing past Adam and locking himself into his room to sob helplessly on his bed.</p><p>The only thing going through his head was just, “What the actual fuck?!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day 14: Soulmates AU</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lance does not believe in soulmates. Keith couldn’t care less about the concept. They end up getting married to prove the whole world wrong or are they only proving the world right?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CONTENT WARNING!</p><p>There is a bit of implied sexual content. Nothing explicit or descriptive, but it is implied, so if you're not into that, please feel free to skip this chapter.</p><p>In this AU, a person can tell who their soulmate is if their irises glow the moment their eyes meet. However, there are some exceptions. This chapter was highly inspired by a quote I found a long time ago. </p><p>“I didn't fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we'd choose anyway. And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you”</p><p>― Kiersten White, The Chaos of Stars</p><p>I wanted to make a soulmate AU based on that quote for some time already, and now I've finally found the motivation to put it into words. :))) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lance adjusted his bow, looking at himself in the mirror up and down before shrugging, figuring he looked quite alright. Besides, this wasn’t all that serious.</p><p>He was just marrying his best friend.</p><p>As romantic as that sounded, it really wasn’t like that. Lance never really believed in soulmates and thought that the concept of having your significant other be predetermined for you to be such a stupid thing. He believed that you should have a bit more freedom for choosing who you’d spend the rest of your life with.</p><p>So, out of pure spite and without any second thought at all, he asked Keith, his best friend since kindergarten, to marry him.</p><p>Now, Keith was indifferent to it all. He couldn’t care less about soulmates or romance. He just didn’t have the time for any of it. He was too busy trying to survive, to make it through life day by day. Ever since his father passed away, Keith put all of his focus on getting by. Sure, he had the support of his friends and was taken in by his foster brother, but he still made it his goal to be as independent as he could, so love was never a priority for him.</p><p>The day Lance proposed, they were half-tipsy outside a fast food restaurant, cheeseburgers in hand and gorging on fries while Lance ranted about how soulmates were such a shitty idea. He had been rejected by his long-term crush since high school, Allura, because they weren’t soulmates. This clearly left Lance bitter and heartbroken, as he called Keith at 12 am to go drink their lives away. Keith, having nothing else to do and struggling to fall asleep, said yes almost instantly.</p><p>Lance slurred, eyeing the soggy fry between his fingers. “I’m going to prove that soulmates are bullshit. Soulmates aren’t mandatory. You spend your whole life searching for ‘The One’? Bull. Shit.”</p><p>Keith simply nodded as he had nothing else to say. Well, that and the alcohol running through his veins made it harder to form anything helpful.</p><p>“Hey, Keith. How about you marry me? Like, we commit to each other since we aren’t soulmates and prove the whole soulmates thing wrong. Glowing eyes to determine your lifelong partner? I say fuck that and let’s get married right now.”</p><p>Lance grinned as if he had formulated the greatest plan in the world. Though Keith had so many questions and so many holes in his best friend’s plan, he was too drunk to care and simply went with it.</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>That night they ended up getting married in a small chapel with two strangers as witnesses.</p><p>They could just get a divorce but that would have taken too much work. Besides, Lance didn’t mind being married to Keith. They trusted each other enough, anyway. If things were to go sideways, they would still have each other’s back till the very end. The amount of blind faith they had in each other was unquestionable. They’ve stuck together ever since and they know they’ll be sticking together long after, especially now that they were married.</p><p>When their families heard about this, they insisted on holding an actual wedding since they weren’t there for the first one. Lance and Keith decided to just go with it. There was nothing else they could do anyway. The two of them were quite surprised at the lack of shock or horror at the news. It seemed like people were betting on the two of them doing something as stupid anyway. Lance wasn’t sure whether he should feel relieved or offended. Keith was still as neutral as always.</p><p>So, now there they were, having an over the top wedding in the church Lance’s parents got married in since they couldn’t think of a good venue.</p><p>“Ready?”</p><p>Lance turned to see his sister and his mother at the doorway. They looked concerned, but still understanding. They trusted Keith just as much as Lance did and didn’t mind that they weren’t soulmates, but they were still concerned about their youngest.</p><p>He nodded his head, a confident grin on his face. “If there’d be anyone I’d marry impulsively, Keith will always be the best choice.”</p><p>His mom simply sighed, walking up to him and smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in his suit. “What if your soulmate does come along?”</p><p>“Well, we’ll see. I probably would just let them be. I’m already married anyway. If things escalate, Keith has my back.”</p><p>She added, fixing his collar though it was perfectly fine. “How would your soulmate feel about that then? It probably wouldn’t be fair to them.”</p><p>Lance took his mother’s hands in his, pulling them from his clothes to still them from fussing with his suit too much. “<em> Mama </em>. They wouldn’t be my soulmate if it made things complicated.”</p><p>“Then what if Keith’s soulmate comes along? What do you think would happen then?”</p><p>Lance stopped for a second to think. He had brought this up with Keith while planning the wedding celebration, but Keith only replied with a shrug and a nonchalant answer of “It wouldn’t matter”. Still, Lance wanted to be sure about how he’d feel about that. But no matter what, he would always support his best friend.</p><p>“I’d have Keith’s back as well. I wouldn’t hold him back or anything. He’s my best friend, I’m his ride-or-die. I would do whatever it takes to make sure he gets the happiness he deserves.” he said, his voice unwavering.</p><p>Lance’s mom smiled fondly, tears in her eyes as her son’s words filled her chest with pride. “It’s such a shame that you two aren’t soulmates. You two work so well together. Are you sure his eyes don’t glow when you look at them?”</p><p>“No. <em> Mama </em>, it does not matter if he is my soulmate or not. I’m married to him and I’m perfectly alright with that. I promise.”</p><p>She opened her mouth to probably counter his answer, but decided against it. If Lance was sure, she was going to trust him on that.</p><p>Moments later, after Lance’s mom had walked Lance down the aisle to where Keith was waiting, after he took Keith’s hand and stood in front of the altar with his best friend. He couldn’t help but ponder on his mom’s words.</p><p>He wasn’t worried about his soulmate, he was worried about Keith.</p><p>Lance has always known Keith to not really care too much and he has reiterated it again and again that he didn’t mind getting married to him, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. He knew about all of the things his friend had to go through and how it changed him over the years, how it hardened a large chunk of him at an early age.</p><p>He wanted Keith to be happy.</p><p>At that moment, he made a silent promise to do whatever it took to make him happy. As a husband, as a friend. In any way that he could, he would pull all the stops for Keith. His friend has always stuck by him and always got roped into his own stupidity. Now, he was going to make sure Keith wouldn’t regret any of it.</p><p>Just as the priest was making a speech about love and soulmates, unaware that the two before him were not soulmates at all, Keith and Lance looked at each other at the same time. Both searching for the same thing, both checking once more if their eyes were glowing, only to burst out laughing at the sight of plain irises.</p><p>That night, they spent their honeymoon at a nice resort. They figured, if they were going to have this crazy fancy wedding, they might as well get the full experience. Or, something close enough. They didn’t mind. They’ve had sleepovers before, they’ve slept on the same bed in close proximity before. They figured this wasn’t any different, and it wasn’t.</p><p>Lance and Keith spent the entire night gossiping about the guests during the reception, debating over their contrasting opinions on the movies they were marathoning, and drinking the complimentary champagne they received… that and the extra booze they managed to sneak in.</p><p>It wasn’t long till both of them were inebriated enough, Lance finally finding the courage to speak the thoughts that have been plaguing his mind since his mother spoke to him before the wedding ceremony.</p><p>“Keith… I’m so sorry.”</p><p>His now-husband set the bottle down, looking over at him with a questioning look.</p><p>Lance sighed, leaning his head against Keith’s shoulder. “Because of me, you’re now trapped. What if your soulmate does come along? I may be bitter, Keith, but you’re yet to find love. Fuck, you’re still a virgin even. I’m a shitty husband. Also, I’m an even worse friend for doing this to you.”</p><p>Keith took a long swig of the whiskey before sealing the bottle lazily, dropping it onto the carpeted floor and turning to Lance. His eyes steely with a sort of determination. There was a lot on Keith’s mind at that moment. There was a lot that he had to say, a lot that he wanted to do. But Keith, being a man of little words, simply summed it all up by pressing his lips against Lance’s.</p><p>The kiss was warm and soft. It was comforting and calming. It was sure and confident. Perhaps it was a little clumsy. They were a little clumsy, but as Lance leaned into the kiss, it didn’t matter at all. Their minds were foggy, sure, but they didn’t mind.</p><p>Hands travelled to places they hadn’t dared to go before, mouths roamed to press more reassuring kisses on every single inch of skin that doubted. Worries were eased, questions were answered with every lingering touch.</p><p>Lance feared Keith would hate him for pulling him into this mess, but Keith made it loud and clear that he’d gladly face even the worst storms with him till the bitter end. The way Keith clung onto him through the rest of the night was more than enough for Lance to understand. He held Keith just as tightly, maybe even tighter.</p><p>Even when their minds cleared and the alcohol in their systems have burned away, they never let go. Not even when the sun rose, light pouring in through the gap in the curtains. Not even when they woke up in each other's arms, only to be met with eyes that didn’t glow.</p><p>Lance moved into Keith’s apartment that week where they spent every single day the same way they always have, save for the evenings where they allowed themselves to go a little further than they were used to. In fact, it only drew them closer. They became more comfortable with each other, more open.</p><p>Whenever Lance had a bad day, Keith would hold him and cage him in his arms, resting his chin on top of Lance’s head as he listened to Lance rant and vent till they eventually fell asleep on the couch. When Keith would wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream, Lance would get up wordlessly to make tea for him and simply sit there at the dining table with him in silence till Keith was ready to go back to bed.</p><p>Of course, with all those quiet moments, there were also the loud and lively ones.</p><p>Like when Keith chased Lance for putting toothpaste in his shampoo or when Keith made Lance laugh so hard he choked on a piece of waffle. There was the time Lance thought he forgot important documents at home only to find that Keith slipped them in his bag before he walked out the door. As well as the time Keith thought he was discreet while looking at videos and sites on how to take care of dogs, only for Lance to take him out to adopt a large, playful Husky named Kosmo.</p><p>Sure, they claimed that there was no romance there, but with each passing day, they had come to the realization that maybe, just maybe there was more.</p><p>On their second wedding anniversary, Keith took Lance to the resort they spent their honeymoon in. They spent the whole day swimming and the whole evening the exact same way they did on the night of their wedding. However, just before Lance could open the first bottle of wine, Keith took his hand, looking him dead in the eyes.</p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>His voice was soft, but steady. Shy, but unwavering. There was no glow in his eyes, but there was the shine of the stars that glimmered above them as they stood on the balcony of their hotel room.</p><p>Lance set the wine bottle down, cupping Keith’s cheek with his now free hand, his thumb caressing him gently.</p><p>“Soulmate or not, I love spending time with you, Lance. I love waking up next to you, I love going to bed with you. I love holding you and kissing you. You were right. Screw soulmates. I love what you and I have right here, right now. I love you, Lance.”</p><p>Lance racked his brain for answers, his voice stuck in his throat as one hand laid perfectly against Keith’s face and the other holding onto his husband, mindlessly shifting so that their fingers were interlaced with each other.</p><p>Sure, no words had to be said. They both knew. They’ve known all this time. But Lance needed to say it. Keith found the courage to tell him once and for all, and he deserved to hear his response.</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p>Keith instantly pulled Lance into him, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tightly. It was as if a veil was lifted from between them. A weight finally removed. They hadn’t realized they had been dancing around the truth for so long, choosing to simply pretend it wasn’t there.</p><p>As Lance grabbed the wine bottle and dragged Keith back inside the room and onto the bed, they had come to discover that perhaps they have always been in love, even before the wedding, before that drunken proposal in that grimy parking lot. It was a feeling that had been stirring in them for so, so long. Not anymore. They made sure to show it to each other every single day without fail.</p><p>Though their routines didn’t change since that night, it was the fact that they now knew about how they felt for each other that made everything feel much more natural between them. Of course, their friends and family weren’t surprised nor did they notice a change. It was not like Lance and Keith minded anyway. This love was theirs, only they needed to know and that was more than enough for them.</p><p>It had been nearly seven years since they had gotten married and things were still going strong. They had even adopted two adorable children who Lance and Keith loved unconditionally.</p><p>Sure, the initial cuddly honeymoon phase had long ended, but they were used to each other’s quirks and habits. Before they were husbands, they were best friends. They knew each other’s dirty secrets and guilty pleasures. Nothing was a surprise for them anymore.</p><p>Everything had simply become a routine for them already. Their communication no longer needed words. One look and Lance knew he had to call the kids down for dinner. Keith would already buy what they lacked at home way before Lance would text him to go to the grocery store.</p><p>One particular morning, Lance and Keith were both going about their day as usual. Keith had already dropped the kids off to school and was helping Lance clean the house since it was both their day off from work.</p><p>Keith was vacuuming the rug, when he looked over to see Lance standing in front of a shelf lined with framed pictures. His husband seemed to be lost in thought as he looked from a picture from their childhood, to one taken during their graduation, to their wedding picture. Keith turned the vacuum cleaner off and walked over to Lance, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him flush against him.</p><p>“How time flies, huh?” Lance sighed, still lost in thought but leaning against Keith’s chest. “I can’t believe that this actually worked out in the end.”</p><p>Keith pressed a kiss to the side of Lance’s head. “So how does it feel to have proven the world wrong?”</p><p>Lance turned to face his husband, looking into those bright purple irises. He found himself drowning in their vibrancy all over again, finding that something had changed. Something was different. It must’ve been the light or the ambiance that made it seem like…</p><p>No, not seem.</p><p>They <em> were </em>glowing.</p><p>Keith’s eyes were actually glowing. His eyes were actually glowing so brightly, Lance couldn’t mistake it for a trick of the light or anything else. They were glowing.</p><p>And judging by the expression on Keith’s face, so were his own.</p><p>“Wait… Does that mean we’re… But they’ve never glowed before.” Keith’s eyes were still locked with Lance’s, full of both confusion and wonder. “Why only now?”</p><p>Lance could only shrug, a wide and bright smile growing on his face as he wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck. His smile was too contagious that Keith found himself grinning along as they leaned into each other for a kiss.</p><p>He pulled away quickly, a question now lingering on the tip of his tongue. He looked into Keith’s eyes once more, and was met with the confirmation that he wasn’t imagining things. Keith’s eyes were still glowing.</p><p>Lance couldn’t help himself as he whispered, “Marry me.”</p><p>Keith raised an eyebrow, the smile still playing on the corners of his lips. “We’re already married, dumbass.”</p><p>“Then marry me again.”</p><p>Keith didn’t have to think twice before answering.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>They renewed their vows on their seventh year anniversary. This time, they had it on a beach at sunset, but keeping the event small and private between close friends and family members. When they announced their revelation to them, the reactions were all mixed, but the vast majority, especially Lance’s mother, were not surprised, but more relieved.</p><p>Lance and Keith laughed once again as the priest gave the speech about love and soulmates as they locked eyes to see that this time, their irises were indeed glowing.</p><p>They had come to realize that falling in love wasn’t simply that one specific moment where time stops and the butterflies come. Falling in love is in the way the calm washes over you and them. It’s in the little routines and things that make their way into your everyday life, in the way they just become a part of you like breathing.</p><p>Falling in love…</p><p>Finding that one person you’d dedicate the rest of your days to…</p><p>Finding your soulmate…</p><p>It isn’t an instant thing.</p><p>For some people it would take months, years to find them or, in Lance and Keith’s case, to realize that you have found them, that you’ve had them all along.</p><p>The reveal simply lay dormant for all those years, waiting for the right time, the right moment.</p><p>Lance married Keith with the intent of proving that soulmates were a waste of time, that the whole concept of finding “The One” was stupid and fruitless.</p><p>Oh, how Lance never felt happier to be proven wrong.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day 15: High School AU (Part 2 of Day 7: Internet Friends AU)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lance finds out that Keith, his ex-best friend, was the internet friend he's been talking to after all this time. He's determined to try to win him back, but the question is what would it take? What would Lance have to give up?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is part 2 of Day 7: Internet Friends AU. Go read that one to see Keith's side. This is a continuation of evens, though. I hope you enjoy this one! I had a whole concept for this, but honestly speaking, it was a little vague and I pushed past my writer's block as hard as I could to actually put a clearer picture. I still am quite satisfied with how it came out, so I hope you guys like it!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lance wasn’t sure if he wanted to pace around his room or lay on the bed, so he opted for the awkward back and forth between both. He’d lie on his bed for about five seconds then get up to walk around then lie back down till eventually he sat at his desk, picking his phone up and opening his chat with Red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, not Red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, Keith was Red. Red was Keith. They were the same person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All this time, Keith Kogane, his ex-best friend, was his online best friend. It was hard to wrap his head around the thought, but that was the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Guilt built up from his stomach, rising all the way to his throat as he remembered all of the things he had said to Red… No, Keith. And he thought of all of the things Keith had said to him. They confided in each other for years without realizing it. Secrets and dreams, plans they had for the future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It frustrated him because even as he tried to leave the past behind him, everything only ended up leading him back to Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance had spent the past week contemplating whether or not he should tell Keith the truth of it all. He could’ve kept it all a secret, but he cared about Red, about Keith. He knew he had to come clean. He couldn’t lie forever, so Lance decided earlier that day that he would tell Keith everything, and he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, he was facing the repercussions of just that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith had run off earlier, right after he revealed to him that he was bluecheeseboy. He was the one Keith spent all day and all night talking to, the one he confided in and went to when things went to shit. Sure, in school, they hated each other, but online, they were each other’s greatest allies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance couldn’t hate Keith for that. He really couldn’t. Neither of them knew, and he genuinely enjoyed having someone on his side. Someone he could trust fully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Lance came to the conclusion that he would keep that friendship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’ve kept it secret for this long. He was sure he could keep the facade a little longer. He just needed Keith on board with his plan, and that would take talking to Keith. He hoped and prayed Keith would actually hear him out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance typed out a message for Keith, asking him if they could talk, but after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, no response came. He sent a few messages, not too much to spam, but enough to hopefully catch Keith’s attention, but still, no success. No response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At school, Lance scanned the sea of students for a glimpse of that all too familiar mullet in the crowd. Keith was around there somewhere, he just knew it. He had to catch him before James and the rest arrived. As much he needed to have a talk with Keith, he couldn’t have others seeing them around each other. They would never let him live it down and that would be the worst possible outcome for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After what felt like an eternity of searching, finally getting dizzy from the rush of faces moving past him endlessly, Lance decided he would find Keith after school. It would be so much simpler, and that way he could just talk to Keith somewhere more private.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance spent the whole day looking for Keith, eventually spotting him in one class they had together. He resulted in slipping him a note as he scurried out the room the moment class was over. Clearly, Keith wouldn’t read or respond to any of his messages, and he could not be seen talking to Keith, so that was all he could come up with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In said note, he asked Keith to meet him behind the school after his last class and that he had some things he’d like to tell him. He hoped Keith would show up, but never thought it would actually work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At around 3:30 pm, Keith rounded the corner and walked over to where Lance stood, waiting against the cement wall of the school. Sure, it wasn’t the most ideal location, but it was the safest place Lance could think of without getting caught by James.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for showing up, Keith.” He offered a small smile, but Keith did not reciprocate it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance sighed, slipping his hands in his pockets, trying to calm his nerves down. “I just wanted to talk about the whole online chatting thing--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I stopped. I’m not going to talk to you anymore. Isn’t that what you want? What more could you possibly want from me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He frowned, shaking his head as he pushed off the wall. “No. No, that’s not it. I still want to talk to you Keith. I get I was shitty, but you and I… We got along. I trust you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The expression on Keith’s face softened slightly. Just a tiny bit. Not enough to be entirely obvious, but Lance had a sharp eye. He saw the way Keith’s eyebrows unfurrowed just slightly and how his shoulders relaxed by a bit. However, that shift in mood was short-lived. What Lance said next caused Keith’s face to sour all over again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still wanna talk to you and stuff, but we gotta keep things… secret, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Secret…” Keith parroted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Lance shrugged, hands still in his pockets. “I’m going to get in trouble with James if he found out you and I are friends again. They’d probably ditch me and shit, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>McClain</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Keith spat, now growing furious. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>ditched </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> for them, so fuck you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two and two suddenly clicked and Lance wanted to hit himself for that. He was a little overconfident in his persuasion skills that he had forgotten to be a little delicate. He was so used to playing a douchebag that being sincere, being careful with his words, seemed like a foreign language to him. He had to try again. He had to. He couldn’t lose Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m sorry for that. I want to be friends with you again, Keith. I want to make this all better, but you gotta understand that they’ll have my head if I don’t listen to James, and you know how he is--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what are you saying Lance, huh?” Keith crossed his arms in front of his chest. This wasn’t going exactly as planned, but then again he didn’t exactly think things through before diving into it. “You want us to be friends and not be friends at the same time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on, Keith. We’ve been doing this for the past few years, it’s not impossible--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so full of shit, McClain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith turned on his heel and walked away, to the direction of his house, leaving Lance to stand there and stare dumbly at Keith’s retreating figure. Apparently, that was not the right thing to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really did want to still be friends with Keith. There was no one he trusted more, but he couldn’t risk the status he managed to build up through the past few years. He’s tired of being the butt of people’s jokes. He wanted to be on top for once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But was that status really worth losing one good friend over?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the afternoon was like a blur to Lance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found himself feeling, well… numb. He wasn’t really feeling anything. There were too many thoughts going through his head that he wasn’t sure what he should be feeling. He did admit, he was a dick. There was no way around that. He was friends with James Griffin, for fucks sake. Of course, he was a dick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance rubbed at his face as he broke out of his trance. He didn’t remember going home, but there he was, lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. He wondered what it was he could do to make everything better. He’s already messed everything up years ago after ditching Keith for James. He didn’t want to ruin things even further.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scrolled through his messages with RedMenace23. With Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The further back he went, the more he found his heart clenching and his lungs tightening. They had a good thing going between them and daresay, he was starting to develop a crush on Red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, he had a crush on Red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red was unashamed to be himself, to speak his mind. He was blunt and honest, but not in a way that made Lance feel bad or conscious. In fact, that openness, that transparency Red…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The way Keith made him feel more at ease, even if it was just through a screen, was more than he could ever ask for. He needed Keith. He was tired of having to be careful and tiptoe around a bunch of fragile egos. He loved being able to speak freely and be comforted with the knowledge that someone was listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Lance got up from his bed, changing into much more decent clothes and slipping out his window. He knew the way to Keith’s apartment like the back of his hand. It has been a long, long time since he last went there, but he still remembered every step, every alternate route.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once upon a time, this was something he did every single day. He used to stop by Keith’s apartment after school and hang out with him, watching movies or just talking while Keith’s brother and brother’s boyfriend would make food for all of them. Lance had to admit, life was much simpler then, but times change. So did he.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, he realized just how much he regretted that. There were so many things he had to let go of to “earn his spot at the table”. Sure, he gained protection from those assholes on the football team and people actually found him interesting all of a sudden, but all of that felt so… fake to him. He always had to put up a front, be a little meaner and care a little less.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wasn’t him anymore. It never was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally reached the apartment and found himself climbing the fire escape like before when he’d sneak out from his house in the middle of the night to see Keith again. Well, he was doing the exact same thing, of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Lance reached Keith’s window. Well, he had hoped it was still Keith’s. There was only one way to find out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gently tapped a soft beat on the glass, the exact same one he always used before to let Keith know it was him, and waited. After a few moments of waiting, Lance tapped again. The lights were on and Lance knew Keith was still awake. He always was at this hour. Lance remembered from all of the nights they’d spend just talking and talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance was about to tap on the window once more only for the curtains to be drawn back, revealing a messy-haired Keith in his pajamas, standing on the other side of the window. Lance gave him a sheepish smile and a shrug, but clearly, Keith was not amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked at his phone for a moment, typing something and finally holding the phone up to his ear. Lance was pretty sure Keith called the police when his own phone started ringing in his pocket. When he checked who was calling him, he was a little… confused to see it was Keith. But he answered nonetheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know you can just open the window, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith rolled his eyes and scoffed. “You’re not worth opening a window for. Now, what the actual fuck are you doing here, you piece of shit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, the profanities just keep coming, huh?” Lance sighed, knowing he deserved all the venom from Keith’s words. “I just wanted to talk to you. You don’t reply or even open my messages, but I have a lot that I wanna say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you thought climbing up the fire escape and standing outside my window like some robber was the best idea?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance pouted softly, realizing that he probably should have thought this through first. “Yeah. But when you say it like that, I guess High School Musical lied to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Troy didn’t betray Gabriella, you asshole.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no he did. Like, that scene where his friends guilt-tripped him and shit. She even had a whole song about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith roughly rubbed at his face, trying his best to not smile, while Lance succumbed to the light feeling in his chest and grinned widely at how natural it was to be talking to Keith. He missed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He missed Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever. Why am I even talking to you, huh? Just leave, Lance. I’m tired of listening to you. Just go. Before I call the cops on you or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance pressed a hand to the window pleadingly. “Keith. Come on. Please. Just let me speak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I already gave you a chance, and you only proved yourself to be full of shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I know. But I… I miss you, Keith. I miss talking to you.” He admitted. “The way I treated you is not and never will be excusable, but I wanna make up for all that. Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still don’t get why you ditched me in the first place.” Keith frowned. His expression was less hostile, but wasn’t welcoming in any way. “You ditch me then you say you miss me. Why? Huh? If this is all a game to you--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was scared, Keith.” Lance blurted out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He has held that in for so, so long. But he knew he could tell Keith the truth. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>owed</span>
  </em>
  <span> him the truth. It wasn’t easy, letting it off his chest, but he had to be upfront and honest once and for all. It was the least he could do after what he did to Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been pushed around all my life. I mean, it’s not the worst thing in the world, but I still hate it. I hate feeling small and helpless. So, when James offered for me to join him and the others, all I could think was how I’d no longer be stepped on. I was selfish.You ended up taking the brunt of it all and I’m so, so sorry for putting you through all that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s eyes seemed to soften as Lance spoke, but the frown remained ever present on his forehead. He was no longer angry, but more… calculating. Like he was trying to decipher the words Lance laid before him, trying to understand the hand he was dealt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you tell me that before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I didn’t think things through? I didn’t want to seem vulnerable? I was immature? I could give you reason after reason, but at the end of the day, I hurt your feelings and I want to fix that, Keith. I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took everything in Lance to not break down right there on the fire escape. He knew these feelings and was aware of them, but this was the first time he was saying them outloud. This was the first time he was fully embracing them. It made his chest feel tighter, but it was liberating. He still felt guilty, but it felt nice to finally admit it. Especially admitting it to Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The window is broken.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith pointed at the window frame and shrugged. “I can’t get the window open. It’s stuck somehow. It’s been like this since last year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance felt relief wash over him. He may have not been around Keith for the past few years, but he’s talked to Red enough to know that that was how he expressed forgiveness. They’ve argued over games and stuff online before, and Keith would always accept Lance’s apologies by admitting something in return. It was his way of saying “It’s okay”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, just know I still… I still need time.” Keith sighed, running his fingers through his messy hair. “It wasn’t easy for me, you know? I’ll think about what you said. About being friends. I’m not mad. Or, at least, not as much as I used to be, but I’ll still need to get over it. I just need time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance nodded. “I get it. But, thank you. For listening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith gave a nod in return. “Now, go. Before someone sees you and gets the wrong idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay… You’ll reply now, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodbye, Lance.” Keith rolled his eyes, ending the call and closing the curtain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance didn’t linger any longer, and slowly descended from his spot. But as he climbed down from the ladders, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was just imagining that small smile playing on the corners of Keith’s lips as he shut the curtain or was it really there?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, he could only hope he wasn’t just seeing things, but it was enough to make the streetlights seem brighter as he made his way back home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next day, Lance couldn’t help but feel much lighter, much giddier. The guilt that weighed him down for the longest time had finally released him, and it shined through for the rest of the days that had passed. He was much more enthusiastic, more attentive in class, and more upbeat as he walked down the halls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, he noticed Keith was not by his locker like he usually was. He didn’t want to overreact and chalked it up to him being late or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That excuse only held up for the first two days because since then, he couldn’t see Keith at all. He was nowhere to be found. Not at his usual table during lunch, not in the classes they shared. Lance even lingered by the entrance before going home, still didn’t see Keith. He checked his phone as often as he could, and Keith didn’t even leave him on read.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No traces of Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By Friday, Lance decided to go visit Keith once more. It was the end of the week and his mom was used to him coming home a little late on Fridays. He told James and the others that he had some errands to run before heading off to see Keith. He had thought of visiting Keith for the past few days, but figured he just wanted his space. Now, however, concern overtook the need to just let him be. He wanted to see if Keith was alright. He had to make sure Keith was alright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He contemplated using the fire escape again, but figured that was a terrible idea, especially in daylight. So, he used the elevator and went over to the front door of the apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance was well aware of who else was inside, he had met them before and he was a hundred percent sure that they weren’t so fond of him after how he had hurt Keith. But he was willing to try.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Especially now that he knew he had a chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could fix things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance took a deep breath, gathering all the courage he could muster before knocking on the door. He could vaguely hear the shuffling of feet, slowly drawing towards the door till the person finally opened it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the door swung open, Lance was trying his best to recall how Shiro and Adam looked like, hoping that seeing even one of them would jog his memory, but what he saw knocked the air out of his lungs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There, on the other side of the doorway, stood Keith with a faded, but still evident black eye, a busted lip, and a few small scrapes on his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance’s head was spinning with questions, none of which seemed to leave his throat, leaving him to stand there like a gaping fish, eyes wide with worry and concern. He looked at Keith from head to toe, unsure if he should even say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you here, Lance?” Keith whispered sharply, glancing over his shoulder a few times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… You don’t…” Keith looked confused for a moment then shook his head, dismissing his initial remark. “It’s nothing. You gotta go. Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance frowned, snapping out of his daze. “Answer my question first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith hissed through his teeth. “Keep your voice down. You’ll wake them. Look, this… this is nothing. I’m fine. Now, please. Just go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not until you tell me what happened.” He lowered his voice but stood his ground all the same. “You don’t show up for a week, and here you are, looking like hell. What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“James didn’t tell you, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance could have sworn that his blood froze in his veins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something did happen. James did something and didn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the ice in him melted to the point that he was seeing red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did he do?” Lance all but growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He beat the shit out of Keith because of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith whipped around as Lance looked over to the source of the comment to see Adam standing not a few meters from the door. His hair was hastily combed down and he looked like he just woke up from a nap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adam, he didn’t know--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And? First, he ditches you to be popular and now his guys go and beat you up in the back of the school. Stop defending him, Keith.” Adam said through gritted teeth. Lance could very clearly see that his fists were clenched so tightly, his knuckles were white.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He. Didn’t. Know.” Keith insisted once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam rolled his eyes at that. Lance was starting to be more aware of where Keith inherited his personality from. That, or was just pure coincidence that Keith and Adam were practically mirrored images of each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just when Lance thought this was going terribly, another figure stepped into view. Lance was two hundred percent sure that this was Shiro. His hair looked so much different as it was fully platinum instead of black with a tuft of white on his bangs, but the scar across the bridge of his nose and the prosthetic arm was more than enough confirmation that this most definitely was Keith’s brother, Shiro.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lance</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took everything in Lance to keep himself from running for his life. This situation terrified him, but was willing to brave through it even if it killed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adam, Shiro, please. Lance had </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do with this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam laughed bitterly, his tone full of sarcasm and venom. “You wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith frowned, opening his mouth to speak against that when Lance decided he should step in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Keith. They’re right. This is my fault.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith turned to him, an incredulous look on his face, but Lance kept on speaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know James did this, but then again, James would never have done this if it wasn’t for me. I don’t know why, but he never said anything about beating you up. There wasn’t even a scratch on him, so I never suspected a thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was guys from the football team who did this shit. James asked them to… give me a hard time. Especially after seeing you talk to me outside school earlier the other day.” Keith explained, a pained look on his face. “I fought back, but a teacher found us and suspended us all. I’m suspended for two weeks. Then these two grounded me and confiscated my phone. So, there’s that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, Keith…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah you better be.” Adam huffed, arms still crossed and fists still clenched. Lance couldn’t help but notice Shiro’s good hand firmly gripping Adam’s shoulder, not out of reassurance, but more like he was trying to hold Adam back. Lance found himself hanging his head in shame and guilt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know I’ve been an asshole to Keith. I won’t give any excuses for that because shittty actions will always be shitty actions. Because of me, Keith has gotten hurt countless times, and even now.” Lance kept his eyes firmly on the ground, too scared to look at anyone as he continued talking. “But I want to make amends. I really, really do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally found the courage to lift his head, his gaze finding Keith’s and locked their eyes together as he continued. “I want to start over, Keith. I want to hang out with you and talk to you. I want to be your friend. For real. Like, actually be your friend again. I know I said all that shit about not being seen by James and yes, initially it was for my own personal reasons. But, after seeing this… I don’t want him to keep on doing this to you. It’s my fault and I gotta solve it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance took a breath, looking between Keith, Adam, and Shiro. They knew he wasn’t quite done with what he wanted to say, so he continued. “I think I know why they did this. It’s a… a warning. Not for you, but for me. They want me to be afraid of them because they sure as hell know that you aren’t. So, now I gotta face them once and for all. Screw the popular shit. It’s empty… I feel empty. Not with you though. I… I like being around you, Keith. And I wanna keep being around you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And for the first time in a while, Lance was graced with a genuine smile from Keith. The cut on his lip clearly made it a little hard for him to properly smile, but the effort in it alone was more than enough to send a rush of happiness through Lance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if that was an apology or a declaration of love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance and Keith’s eyes darted over to where Adam and Shiro stood, now much more relaxed and looking less like they wanted to tear Lance limb from limb. Lance could see out of the corner of his eye how Keith’s ear was turning a bright shade of pink, but he kept that to himself. Something for him to think about later on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, we know you can take care of yourself. We were just worried Lance was here to make things worse. But if you say that this is okay, then we’ll support you. It’s your call.” Shiro chided, his hand moving from gripping Adam’s shoulder to resting on the curve of his boyfriend’s waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked to Keith who looked right back at him. The stare lingered for a few more seconds until Keith finally spoke once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next week, Lance walked straight up to James and socked him right between the eyes, probably breaking his nose. Lance wouldn’t know. Some of James’ buddies pulled him off and gave him hits of their own. The fight was a little unfair, Lance being outnumbered three to one, but he couldn’t care less.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Due to Lance’s good record, having never gotten into fights or any form of mischief before, he was suspended for only a week. He spent the rest of his suspension at Keith’s apartment where they caught up on all the things they had missed out on each other for the past three, four years. Though, there wasn’t much they missed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>RedMenace23 and bluecheeseboy knew everything about each other after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they went back to school, James and his buddies were already on thin ice after getting into two fights within a week. It was a little bit of a culture shock for Lance to go from one of the “cool kids” to have people go against him, but strangely enough, he didn’t feel all that bad. Maybe it was because of the fact that he had Keith by his side again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They looked out for each other and when James tried to make their lives hell again, they stood up for each other. Avoiding another fight was a little tricky, but they made it work. Especially now that they had a few more people on their side. In the time Lance and Keith drifted apart, Keith had found himself some people to hang around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance actually found them to be really fun and much better company than when he was with the people he thought were his friends. With Pidge and Hunk, he didn’t have to be delicate with his words or pretend he wasn’t into “nerdy shit”. They listened and Lance felt right at home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, Lance and Keith got a lot more time together, falling back into their old routine of walking to school and walking home together. They hung out at their old favorite ice cream shop after school and every weekend like they used to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before they realized it, certain feelings began surfacing, or resurfacing, rather, as those feelings were once there and now returning after their wounds, both physical and emotional began mending.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The timing for Lance’s realization that he really felt something for Keith was a little too perfect as it was around that time as well that that year’s prom was announced and tickets were available.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance thought about it for a while, when he decided to just go for it. He bought tickets and decided he was going to ask Keith the moment he saw him again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That afternoon, Lance found himself watching Coraline with Keith in his apartment while Adam baked in the kitchen. He genuinely wished he had something good planned when he’d ask him, and he did, but he forgot </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> and was too jittery to even come up with another plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He honestly didn’t even understand why he was so nervous. He was just asking Keith out to prom. Then again, it was the biggest event for their senior year</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think about prom?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An arbitrary pageant for attention and raging teenage hormones. I honestly </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Adam, with those bionic ears of his, called out from the kitchen. “Keith, as terrible as it was, I think Lance was going to ask you out to prom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s head snapped to Lance, eyes wide with shock and instant regret. His jaw hung for a moment as he tried to find his voice. He looked into Lance’s eyes for confirmation, and Lance simply replied with a soft shrug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Keith managed to blurt out a speedy, “I’d love to. Go to prom. Like… With you. I’ll go to prom with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They could’ve sworn they heard Adam sigh, saying, “And apparently, you’re just as terrible.” from the kitchen, but they ignored it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance wasn’t sure if he should lean in and kiss Keith, while Keith was awkwardly sitting there, waiting for Lance to make a move, any move. They settled for a quick hug which had no tact or smoothness to it, but well… The moment was already pretty awkward. More awkwardness didn’t seem too bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was an awkward tension between them since then and through the days leading to night of the prom. Sure, it wasn’t a big deal, at least it wasn’t supposed to be, but the idea of going, as each other’s date and all was a little new. They’ve been indirectly flirting with each other for the past few years, but to have it in person was new territory for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance donned his suit, letting his sisters style his hair for him because he was too nervous to even try to do it himself. All it took was just some hair wax to style his hair back, but his brain failed him, rendering him weak at every joint. However, by some miracle, he managed to convince his brother to lend him his car and safely drove over to pick Keith up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked absolutely stunning in his own suit. Clearly, Adam and Shiro were the ones who dressed him because despite all efforts to keep a straight face, Keith looked unbearably uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance and Keith laughed like idiots while attempting to put the corsages on each other. In the end, Adam had to help them while Shiro took pictures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment they got there, they had their pictures taken at the entrance and instantly went to find Hunk and Pidge. Well, just Pidge. Hunk was off having fun with his date, dancing and all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few hours later and one obviously rigged awarding, Pidge bailed, leaving Keith and Lance with each other, both unsure of what else they should be doing, until the DJ began playing a slow song.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In that moment, Lance knew what he wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though he could feel James’ and the rest of the group’s stares on him and Keith, he chose to ignore them. If there was one thing that these few months have taught him, it was that none of those guys really cared about him, that their opinions didn’t matter. He had spent the past few years looking for validation and an ego boost, completely ignoring the truth that he wasn’t happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He missed feeling safe and talking about things he genuinely liked to someone who genuinely cared. Years of chasing temporary highs in all the wrong places with the wrong people have etched an emptiness in him that he always seemed to brush off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But not this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took Keith’s hand and pulled him over to the dance floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance? Lance, what are you doing?” Keith whispered through his teeth as they found a space of their own in between all the couple slowly swaying to the music.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He simply smiled at him, taking his hands and resting them on his shoulders. “Dancing with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s gaze darted over to where James and the rest were, but Lance kept his eyes on Keith and only Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ignore them.” Lance said as he held Keith close. “I’ll deal with them later. For now, we’re at prom and we should enjoy this… what did you call it again? ‘Arbitrary pageant for attention and raging teenage hormones’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That pulled a soft chuckle from Keith’s lips, his muscles now relaxing. Keith finally brought his attention back to Lance, their eyes locking once more. This time, there was no more worry or panic in those purple eyes. Just amusement and a calmness that glittered along with the fairy lights strung above their heads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got me there.” Keith sighed, the grin still lingering on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The movement of the crowd was hypnotizing in its own way, getting the two to slowly lose themselves in the dim lights and cheesy love song. It was a little clumsy and most definitely not something from a romance movie, but they liked it that way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was awkward, completely disillusioning them from their expectations of how prom would be like, but that was sort of the point. Nothing was perfect. The air in the gym was thick and heavy, the dance floor was crowded, and the music was a little too loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was most definitely not their scene.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what? You wanna just go and eat pizza at home with Adam and Shiro?” Keith offered, a small grin on his face. “It would be nice to have a date on movie night for once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance didn’t have to say anything to that. Keith’s smile alone was more than enough to convince him. He took Keith’s hand and they weaved their way through the crowd and out the gym.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day 18: Thunderpike AU</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pike was at a tavern for a drink when a mysterious man walks in, with pouches of jewels and gold. Pike would do just about anything to pick his pockets, but something seemed a little strange about this man.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is short, but sweet. I'm really proud of the idea I came up for this and I wanted to leave it opened ended. I didn't want to put too much into it. I hope y'all like it!! Enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Pike took a sip of his ale as his eyes scanned the stuffy tavern, looking for potential… openings. A newbie on a quest, some palace guards that are off duty. Anyone. Just… anyone who could be carrying gold or maybe a good amount of valuables or precious items that could be traded off. Sure, he needed the money, but also loved the thrill of it all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He enjoyed working his reflexes and seeing how long it would take for his victim to realize they’ve been robbed blind. He loved the adrenaline of almost getting caught, of taking a risk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lived for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Pike set his tankard down on the table, a strange new face entered through the tavern door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This stranger had a pretty large and intimidating build with a fur cloak over his shoulders, covering his muscled arms that was littered with scars which Pike could only guess were from previous battles. He had dark raven hair that cascaded down to his shoulders. His eyes glowed a vibrant purple, both bewitching and alarming Pike the moment he took note of them. Those eyes seemed so bright and dark at the same time, hiding something so devastating behind them. It was as though a storm raged in them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A beautifully destructive storm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike blinked, suddenly becoming aware of how much he had been staring. He tore his eyes from the gorgeous stranger and looked around the tavern only to see everyone just as captivated by the man as he walked over to the barkeep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment the stranger took a seat on a barstool, everyone seemed to break from their trances and resumed their previous engagements. Pike, on the other hand, found himself staring once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was so much more to this man that he would ever dare to admit. Pike has had his fair share of attractive people, but none could come close to the raw beauty of this man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Pike continued his admiration of the sight not too far from where he sat, he couldn’t help but notice the things this man was carrying. He had a few pouches of what Pike could only guess were jewels and gold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had this man come from a raid? A quest?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Loot such as these didn’t just come out of nowhere. Pike was too familiar with the pouches and the bulging shapes of their contents to know that these gems were cut and polished, so this stranger didn’t just take them from mines. He had taken them or was given them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, whatever the case was, this man was handsome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And rich.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Filthy rich.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike sat at his spot a little longer to observe. He needed to be sure of what he was looking at before going in for the steal. As confident as he was that those were jewels in the pouches, he needed visual confirmation. He’s been tricked before and he vowed to never make the same mistake again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the stranger pulled a pouch from his belt, opening it and revealing a large handful of gold coins inside it before dropping the small bag onto the barkeeper’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This man did have money. And if there was something Pike knew about people with riches, they wouldn’t spend a whole fortune on drinks unless they had more to spare. Judging by the other bags resting on this stranger’s belt, there was definitely more gold, more jewels.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fortunately for Pike, he wasn’t an assassin and a thief for nothing. He took a deep breath and stilled for a moment, focusing in on those bags on the man’s belt. After a moment of listening, he could hear the familiar clink of coins as said man shifted in his seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jackpot.” Pike muttered against the rim of his mug before he took a long swig from his drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A smile spread on his lips as he eyed the bulky pouch of gold strung on the stranger’s belt. He had a good feeling about this. All it would take is a quick brush against the man and he’d be able to snatch up that pouch in a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smoothing his clothes, Pike sauntered off in the stranger’s direction. He weaved his way through the bodies crowding the tavern, his light feet dancing along the mead-stained floorboards, drawing closer and closer to the cloaked man hunched at the counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he walked past the stranger, hiis fingers skillfully undid the knot that tied the gold to the man and snuck the pouch in his satchel with one swift movement. The bag was heavy, which filled Pike with excitement. The amount of gold in the bag would be more than enough to get him a nice room at a fancy inn, and maybe even a hefty meal or two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the man didn’t feel a thing. Pike smirked to himself, wondering just how far he could take the robbery. He smoothly slipped onto the barstool next to the man, ordering another pint of ale for himself. The barkeeper handed him a mug and Pike turned to the man beside him. Now that he had a much closer view of him, he was able to see the glittering gems in his front breast pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emeralds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike mentally drooled at the knowledge of how much one single emerald was worth, all the more three of them. He was confident enough to know he could steal them, but he needed the right moment. And if there was anything Pike learned from years by himself, if he wanted the situation to be in his favor, he’d have to turn the tables himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would offer to buy you a drink, but it seems as though you have that covered.” Pike said, taking a sip of his ale, peeling his eyes from the man beside him only to glance at him from the corner of his eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man turned in his seat to face him, looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Pike turned as well to face said man. The man glanced from between his own tankard to Pike and back before bringing the half-empty mug up to his lips and gulped down the rest of its contents in one go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike would be lying if he said that that action didn’t awake something in him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, you can buy me a drink.” The man said, a playful grin on his lips as he set a now empty tankard on the countertop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike laughed, ordering another mug of whatever this man was drinking. He took another sip from his own drink, suddenly thirsty for something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The name’s Pike, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Like the infamous assassin, Pike?” The man asked as he took the drink from the barkeep, looking much more relaxed as he crossed one leg on the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The one and only.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged in reply, mirroring the man’s posture. It was a bit of a boost to his ego to have someone recognize him or know who he was. He spent years building a reputation, it was pleasing to know it actually got him somewhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Did you know that you’re wanted in three different kingdoms and have a large bounty on your head?” The man mused, intrigue written all over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what should I do? Cower? Hide?” Pike chuckled and took another sip. “I did not earn such notoriety from being afraid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man scrutinized him for a moment. The glint in his eye was playful and perhaps, maybe a little flirty. That was more than enough to pique the assassin’s interest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a little game set before them, and Pike was more than ready to play. He leaned a little closer to the stranger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thunderstorm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man chuckled, tucking a deviant strand hair from his face behind his ear. “They call me Thunderstorm or Thunder.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike’s eyebrows shot up at the name. It was familiar. He just couldn’t pinpoint where he had heard it before. It made him feel a little guilty since this man knew he was and he couldn’t say the same back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fitting name. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Thunder.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pleasure is all mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike could sense something. He just wasn’t sure what it was. It gnawed at the back of his mind, chewing away at his thoughts. It had no name, no face, but Pike knew there was something he should be worried about. The way Thunder was looking at him only set him even more on edge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spoke with a teasing tone. “Why do I feel as though there is something you know that I don’t? Got any secrets, Thunder?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep, seductive chuckle rumbled from the man’s throat as he lifted the mug to his lips to take another sip. Pike could swear he was melting in his seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you’re cunning, smart. But not smart enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The confusion Pike had at those words were definitely showing through his face because a wide smirk bloomed on the stranger’s face. It was alluring as it was terrifying. Pike felt an icy cold dread run through his veins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thunder continued speaking. “I know you’re an assassin, a thief. I know you’ve been eyeing the gold and gems I’ve been carrying on me. I know you took the gold the moment you first walked past me and I know you’re only talking to me to take the emeralds I have in my front pocket. I know a lot of things… But did you know that I’m a bounty hunter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike’s eyes widened at the sudden revelation as he put two and two together. He knew something was off, but got too cocky. He decided to not linger a second longer and bolted to the front door. It took a moment for him to realize that Thunder had not gotten up from his stool to chase after him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only till a voice boomed from across the tavern did Lance understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll give you a day’s head start! Run while you can because the gods know I will catch you, Pike!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, how he regretted everything he had done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike was already a good deal away from the tavern and decided to take a break against a large pine tree. The air was cool and crisp, but he could not fully enjoy the weather. Not with a barbarian bounty hunter hot on his heels.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind drifted back to the charming Thunderstorm and his little-but-not-so-little reveal of being a bounty hunter. He knew what he was doing, tempting Pike with things he could steal, enticing him into a false sense of security, to become more confident. Too confident. He knew this man was familiar and cursed himself for not remembering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thunder is known to be a mercenary, a bounty hunter. No matter who he was sent after, they were all caught in a matter of hours, the longest time being three days. None of his targets were able to escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, not yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike smiled inwardly. This knew that this guy was good. He was most definitely a challenge, but a welcome one. Pike loved challenges.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he dashed off in a new direction, a plan forming in his head, he couldn’t help but feel giddy and eager for the chase. Thunder wasn’t the only one with tricks up his sleeve. Pike was a wanted man for a reason, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was going to make this bounty hunter run in circles, and maybe, if all went according to plan, Pike was going to take Thunder out for dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so began the chase.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Day 21: Theater Actors AU</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's opening night and Lance is going out of his mind from his nervousness. Thankfully, his boyfriend is there to save the day.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a super short, super fluffy established relationship Klance fic. It's the epilogue of a fic I made once but never uploaded. Maybe someday I'll actually upload it. We'll see. :))))</p><p>Just a warning, the next chapter won't be so... fluffy. But for now, I hope y'all enjoy this one! I'm pretty proud of it. :)))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was opening night and Lance was going crazy. He was doing his best to keep a straight face, but this was his first time doing a lead role. He wanted everything to go as perfectly as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, Lance loved nothing more than expressing himself. He enjoyed playing a role, fitting into a different person’s shoes. He loved acting, singing, dancing. Just performing in general. It was cathartic for him. A place where he could truly escape and pretend the world didn’t exist, even if it was for a split second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, tonight so many eyes were going to be on him, and as much as he was a confident guy who enjoyed attention, he was still human at the end of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance picked up a brush and mindlessly twirled it in his fingers as he read through his lines over and over again, softly muttering them under his breath. He had memorized every single word by heart, but he still felt the need to practice again and again. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His little meltdown didn’t go unnoticed because his co-actress, Romelle, came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll do </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, sweetie. Alright? I know you will.” She said as she gave him a little squeeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tension in Lance’s muscles eased up by just a little bit, but he was still a little too on edge, too nervous. Lance placed his free hand on Romelle’s, giving it a soft squeeze. A gesture of his thanks at her attempt to calm him down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Mel.” He sighed, setting the brush down and fighting the urge to rub his face in fear of ruining his makeup. “Now go finish getting ready. I’ll be alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romelle looked at him worriedly but opted to listen to him. She was concerned, but she had to make sure that she, too, was ready. After giving him a pat on the shoulder for reassurance, she headed back over to her table and continued fixing herself up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>About twenty minutes later, Lance was just about to return back to page one and read through the whole script all over again when a soft knock came from the door. Romelle shifted in her seat, but Lance got up first, walking to the door and opening it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was instantly greeted with a large bouquet of roses, nearly startling him. The person holding the flowers lowered the arrangement to reveal their face and Lance could have sworn his soul left his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Starboy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith!” Lance laughed, leaning in to peck his boyfriend on the cheek but decided against it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This did not go unnoticed by Keith, of course. He frowned with concern, wondering why Lance didn’t greet him the way he normally did. “No kiss?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to get lipstick on you.” he chuckled, reaching out to lovingly cup his lover’s cheek and Keith only pouted even more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not even for bringing you flowers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a hearty laugh, Lance swore to every single living creature in the universe that there was no one more precious than this man. He leaned past the bouquet in Keith’s hands to press a kiss right over his cheekbone, leaving a red mark in the shape of his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he pulled back, Lance was greeted by a bright smile on Keith's face, clearly eager for more than a kiss on the cheek, but willing to settle with what was given… for now. They both knew that Lance would shower him with more later on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, now, come in so that I can clean your face." Lance chuckled, tugging Keith into the dressing room by his sleeve.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith simply shook his head in reply, the lovestruck grin still lingering. "Nah, leave it. You can add to it later."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You are so weird. God, I'm dating a weirdo." He sighed as he took the flowers from Keith's hands and set them on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored Romelle's stifled giggles as he glanced up at the mirror to see Keith staring at his own reflection, smiling widely and brushing his fingers over the lipstick stain with utmost care as to not accidentally wipe it off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can't help it. I think this is a good color on me." Keith teases, training his eyes back on his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance couldn’t help but feel so damn lucky to be dating this dork of a man. He couldn’t help but recall just how they met, how they got to where they currently were. It was around two years ago when Lance was still doing minor roles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith worked there as a technician along with his brother, who was the technical director. He was usually the one helping the actors with their microphones, making sure the right ones were given to the right people and that they were working properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance was barely onstage for long, but it was not like he was complaining. He spent the majority of his time backstage with the cute sound guy who always knew the right things to say when Lance needed an opinion on his performances. Not before long, all that time backstage, hanging out and practicing, slowly led to something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay. All jokes aside, you have to finish getting ready so that I can put your mic on. Come on. I’ll help you with your costume.” Keith chuckled, taking Lance’s first costume off its hanger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No matter how many times Keith did it, Lance would never get over how well he knew his way around. He knew just what to do and what Lance needed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith was not an actor himself, well he claimed he wasn’t, but Lance begged to differ when Keith helped him with his lines, making suggestions here and there. Even reading off some parts so smoothly that Lance couldn’t help but wonder just what else this boy from the shadows had up his sleeve since he definitely knew his stuff about theater.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance initially thought that it was because of his brother, but Keith once mentioned that there was much more to that story. Lance tried to get him to tell him all about it, but he could tell by the look on Keith’s face every time it was brought up that it was too painful for him to even think about, so he never pressed the subject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, shouldn’t you be handling the equipment and not play P.A?” Lance raised his eyebrow skeptically, hands on his hips authoritatively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith simply shook his head, unzipping the clothes to help Lance into them. “I asked Shiro if I could be here to help you. This is your first show playing the lead, I wanna be here for you. I know this means a lot to you, and you mean so much to me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance could only sigh with a smile, tipping his head back and blinking rapidly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Keith frowned with confusion, worried about his boyfriend. “What.. What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to cry but I’m already in makeup and reapplying is the worst.” Lance groaned, now fanning his face with his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romelle burst out in laughter at that with Keith joining in not a moment after. His laugh was softer and filled with nothing but love for the man before him. However, he didn’t hesitate to grab  an empty folder from the table and began fanning Lance’s face to help him out, only for Lance to start laughing as well. The moment lasted for a few seconds before Lance found his composure. He followed Keith’s lead and shrugged his robe off to slip in his costume.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t conscious about being almost naked in front of Romelle, all the more Keith, but he was very much aware of his boyfriend’s eyes trailing every single inch of his skin. It didn’t make him feel insecure or anything, but the heat from Keith’s gaze only made Lance feel less motivated to put the costume on knowing Keith shared his sentiments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Romelle could sense the tension, she was very good at hiding it and keeping her thoughts to herself. Lance made a mental note to thank her for her patience later. He could only imagine how lovesick she must be feeling being subjected to their tooth-rotting fluff while her girlfriend was miles and miles away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so where are your shoes, love?” Keith broke the silence, looking around for Lance’s shoe bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance thought for a moment, trying to remember where he had put it only to remember that it wasn’t even in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit. I left it in my car. I’ll--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Keith interrupted, having already snatched the keys and was now at the door. “I’ll go get it. I already saw the car. I know where it is. You do your hair. I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance had to sit down as quickly as he could before he melted into a puddle on the floor. All that was going through his head was just how much he didn’t deserve someone as amazing as Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two are just too adorable. Please invite me to your wedding.” Romelle spoke up, her eyes shining with what Lance could only guess was envy. Not the bad, I’ll-ruin-your-life kind. It was sadder and filled with longing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance looked at her through the mirror in front of him, offering her a small smile. “Only if you bring Allura as your plus one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed, putting the phone in her hand down on the table. “That’s if I can finally get her here. I miss her so much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you lovebirds will be united soon. I’m sure of it.” He reassured her as he sprayed some water on his hair and started combing his hair back, doing his best to keep himself from saying too much. After all, he promised Allura to keep her arrival a secret. She was currently on her way to her hotel from the airport to drop her bags off before heading to the venue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance had finally tucked the last lock of hair in when Keith came back, shoe bag in hand. He was quick to take his shoes and kneel to help Lance into them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah… I do.” Lance snickered, wiggling his foot into the shoe and nudging Keith’s knee with his other foot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance, I think you’re supposed to say ‘I do’ at the altar.” Keith deadpanned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were moments Lance was not sure if Keith was joking or if he was actually serious, but he didn’t mind. He adored every little trait, every little quirk his Keith had. It was who his boyfriend was and he would love every single inch of him without question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. You all good up there? I’ll help you with your hair.” Keith offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naturally, Lance would fight him and send him off to take care of his own tasks before Keith gets scolded by Shiro, but he figured being a little selfish for once was alright. Besides, Keith asked for permission to help him out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” He reached for his hairspray and passed it to Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If there was anything Lance truly trusted Keith with, it was hair. Keith had a mullet, but rocked it effortlessly. In fact, despite not putting so much effort into it, it was still soft and smooth, something Lance dedicated a daily and nightly routine to achieve for himself. It was truly a mystery, but like everything else about Keith, he stopped questioning it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they were done taking care of everything else, Keith took a step back to admire Lance fully. Of course, Lance took that as an opportunity to admire his own boyfriend as well. Keith wasn’t all dolled up, sporting a comfortable pair of jeans, sneakers, and a plain black shirt, but he never looked more gorgeous to Lance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh, lemme take a picture of you guys!” Romelle squealed, now in her own costume. She held her hand out and Keith gave her his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance stepped up beside Keith, leaning into his side as he wrapped an arm around his waist. Keith reciprocated by placing his arm around Lance’s shoulders. He was careful as to not ruin the costume or Lance’s hair and leaned in to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s temple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romelle took that opportunity to snap a picture or two. The moment was too sweet to ignore. Of course, they got a few more pictures taken. Even some with Romelle, till they finally had to put their phones away to make the final preparations and head out to get their microphones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith, having done this a billion times before, helped Lance into his, a soft smile playing on his lips the whole time. Lance took note of this, and though the sight of his boyfriend smiling like an idiot was enamoring, he couldn’t help but ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked up and locked eyes with him, the smile never going away, only growing wider. “I’m just so in love with you, you know that, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance lovingly cupped Keith’s cheek, making sure he didn’t touch the lipstick mark that was now a little faded but still there all the same. “Well, I love it when you remind me, so no, I didn’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I love you, Lance.” he chuckled, nuzzling softly into Lance’s palm, knowing he couldn’t kiss Lance in fear of ruining his makeup.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, Keith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, relax. You’re really tense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance was suddenly aware of how much his muscles were aching. He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders, the rest of his body following suit. Being with Keith was calming, but there were a few things he just couldn’t shake off apparently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My dad was an actor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance frowned, curious now to what that meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He taught me everything I know about plays and acting, but ever since he died… I just could never look at the stage that same way again. But I love theater too much to leave it.” Keith sighed, finally placing tucking the rest of the mic into Lance’s costume and away from view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith… I’m so sorry, I didn’t--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, ghosting his fingers over Lance’s cheek, barely touching but close enough that the warmth from his hand danced over Lance’s skin. Keith took his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright, Lance. Because now… Now I see something else when I look at the stage. No more ghosts or painful memories.” Keith’s smile was soft, but brighter than any light that could ever exist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just see you, Lance. Just you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It pained Lance so much to not be able to kiss the living daylights out of Keith, but he was going to do just that when the show was over. He was going to pepper him with kiss after kiss, knowing full well it would never be enough to just how much Keith deserved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t long till the director started calling everyone to head to where they needed to be for the opening. Lance and Keith didn’t want to let go of each other, but eventually, they had to. The lingering buzz in their skins were a promise of more touches to come. They just had to wait a little longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Lance stood in the wings, ready to head out onto the stage for his first scene. He looked over his shoulder to where Keith stood a few meters away, looking at him with bright eyes and a proud smile, Lance couldn’t help but admit that there was one thing he loved more than performing.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Day 22: Coffeeshop AU (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lance is working at this new cafe that opened about a few months ago. One day, his ex-boyfriend, Keith, walks in with a smile on his face and a child in his arms.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one is short because I want to make it a two-part thing. And fair warning, this has some angst in it. I tried my best not to make it too angsty, but I'm not sure how it will turn out for y'all. I hope you guys enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Phantom pains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain that feels like it’s coming from a body part that’s no longer there. Or at least that’s what they are medically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For Lance, they were the dull ache in his chest when Keith walked in through the coffeeshop doors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hair was longer now, reaching a little past his shoulders and tucked behind his ears. In his arms, a smiling bundle of joy. A girl, no older than seven, grinning like she was the sun. Keith had said something that made her giggle, and oh, how Lance’s chest ached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not so long ago, they had a talk about it. Well, they’d both say it was a talk, but the shouting and screaming that composed the argument was more than enough contradiction to that statement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith wanted to settle down and get married, adopt a child or two. Lance wanted to continue living free, whatever that meant. Now that he looked back on his words, they didn’t really make any sense at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps he just was just a little worn out from having to live in such a full house after so many years, and Keith simply wanted to fill the silence he’s grown accustomed to from living in an empty home all his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe Lance just didn’t want to commit. Maybe he wanted something with an exit, something he was capable of abandoning if things truly didn’t work out. He’s been in too many relationships, after all. Heartbreak after heartbreak, and Lance just wanted to stop hurting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, whatever it was, they didn’t agree. Their visions of the future were stark contrasts of each other, so they parted ways, into the paths they wanted for themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now there they were, Keith with a beautiful little girl in his life, and Lance standing behind the counter with a pang in his heart that echoed up to his ears, crying out to him in a language so familiar, only louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much, much louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi.” Lance managed, the usual empty spiel he recited to every customer suddenly forgotten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance could probably rant all day about how much he missed that heartbreaking voice, how much he missed those bright eyes. Instead, he swept those thoughts aside and forced a smile. After all, he was still on his shift, and Keith was a customer. As much as Lance wondered why Keith would come to this cafe, of all places, he couldn’t blame him. He didn’t know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, uhm… What can I get for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A look flashed through Keith’s eyes for a moment, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He turned to the child in his arms, a doting smile gracing his lips. Lance felt the phantom pains once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna tell the barista what you’d like?” He asked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl looked from Keith to Lance then back to Keith, unsure of what to do next. Perhaps she was too shy. But Keith was patient. He was always patient, even before the breakup, even during their fight, even when he packed all his things and walked out the door. Keith had always been so patient with everyone but himself. Lance knew that all too well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hot chocolate and a cheesecake, please.” She squeaked before tucking her face into the crook of Keith’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance felt a tiny twinge of jealousy knowing that once upon a time, that curve on Keith’s shoulder once belonged to him. It was home. Not now. Not anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, why should he be jealous of a child? That was such a stupid thought. It took everything in him to not bury head into the cash register as he encoded the kid’s order.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything for you, sweetheart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words spilled from him so naturally, Lance didn’t think anything of it till that look swept through Keith’s eyes once again. However, this time, Lance was able to get a good look at it. It was… hurt? And a pinch of sadness? Yearning? He knew the look, but couldn’t find the name for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And for you, Ke-- Sir. What would you like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance didn’t really need to ask. He knew Keith was going to order an iced caramel macchiato. He knew what kind of drinks Keith liked, he knew his favorite flavors, his favorite desserts. Lance knew which playlists Keith listened to depending on his mood, and he still had those playlists on his phone. He memorized each song with care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance knew to keep the curtains slightly parted early in the morning. Not too much that it illuminated the whole room. Just enough to have a small streak of light spill in through the window, casting a soft glow against Keith’s skin. The very skin Lance spent every waking moment commiting to memory. Every little inch was mapped in his head so vividly that it was the star of Lance’s dreams for the past three years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Iced caramel macchiato. Both drinks and the cake to go, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, dada. Can we stay here a lil longer, please?.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked up at him with the widest, roundest puppy eyes ever known to man and Keith could only sigh. He looked at his kid before looking back at Lance with an expression on his face that Lance knew all too well, just like every other face Keith has made before. Lance could tell by that look alone just how much he adored the child in his arms, his daughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it you’ll have these for here?”  Lance couldn’t help the soft chuckle of amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A ghost of a smile danced along the edges of Keith’s mouth as he nodded. “Yes, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“May I ask for your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked like he was about to say something to him but ultimately decided against it, slightly bouncing his kid in his arms to coax her from her hiding spot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s asking for your name, baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The little girl peeped out once again, looking at Lance warily. Thoughts began swirling in his head at that moment. This girl could have been </span>
  <em>
    <span>their </span>
  </em>
  <span>kid. Theirs. His and Keith’s. This girl would not be so shy at this moment. She would look up at him as lovingly as she did with Keith. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought of how she called Keith “dada”. Lance would probably tell her to call him “papa” and teach her how to dance. He would sing to every Disney song with her and help her with her clothes every morning since Keith always woke up late. He would cook breakfast for her, spoiling her with all of her favorites. He would take her to school and kiss her on the top of her head before she heads inside the building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance smiled at the thoughts, but that smile quickly simmered down as he reminded himself that those were only thoughts. Just thoughts. Nothing else. He wasn’t that girl’s papa, Keith wasn’t his boyfriend anymore. Things that could have been were simply far off dreams for him now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aellana. A. E. L. L. A. N. A.” She recited as though she practiced this a billion times over, her chubby cheeks tinted with a soft pink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance tore his eyes from her to put her name on the order. This girl was too cute for her own good. Lance wanted nothing more than to smother her with love and affection. But the most he could do at that moment was give her the best hot chocolate and cheesecake she’s ever had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The phantom pains doubled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smile found its way to his lips once more as he looked back at her. “Aellana. Gotcha. Okay, Aellana. I’ll call your name when your order is ready, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, my dada will be the one to get it.” she explained, looking up at him with concerned eyes as though this was the biggest dilemma in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The phantom pains tripled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Lance chuckled, “I’ll remember your dada’s face so that when he comes, I’ll know it’s for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This satisfied the little girl as she beamed up at him, giving him a view of her missing incisor. This girl was perfect. He was glad Keith had such wonderful company. She was just as bright-eyed and sweet as him. Lance was almost convinced that she was his biological daughter had he not have heard from Pidge that Keith adopted her almost a year ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance simply watched them as Keith carried her off to a table not so far from the counter. He watched as the love of his life set her down on the chair talking to her about something Lance couldn’t hear. They were too far and the other voices in the coffeeshop were much louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took all the strength he could muster to look away and start making their drinks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Phantom pains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain that feels like it’s coming from a body part that’s no longer there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain from a love Lance could no longer have, a future he could no longer have.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance set the tray and placed the drinks on it along with the cake, taking a deep breath before calling out the order.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hot chocolate and iced caramel macchiato for Aellana.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Day 23: Single Dad AU (Part 2 of Day 22: Coffeeshop AU)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After three long years, Keith moves back with his daughter, Aellana. They go to a coffeeshop to buy some cheesecake only to run into a face Keith had not seen for so long.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I just want to start this note with some little fun facts that I couldn't explain within the story.</p><p>1. Keith calls Aellana many nicknames, one of which is "guppy". This is because the nickname was initially "GP" which meant "goblin princess" because Aella had dubbed herself "the goblin princess".</p><p>2. I have a family friend whose daughter, who is around 13 now, still calls him "dada" until now and I think that is adorable and I wanted that for Keith. So, "dada" it is. :)))</p><p>I wanted to expand the plot of this story, but I didn't know what else I could add. Maybe I could make this into its own fic, add the parts from before Keith moved out. If you think I should, feel free to comment to let me know. :))) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Can we go there, dada, pleeeaaase. Please, dada. Please. Please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay. Let’s go there and buy some cheesecake then we go straight home. Okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aellana had been whining all day, begging her dad to buy her a cheesecake from that cafe just around the corner ever since they walked past it earlier. She wasn’t one to ask for things, so Keith gave in and figured he could spoil her for a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had spent the past two days in the apartment, so Keith thought it would be nice for them to go around town, see what was new, and what they can add to their daily routine. Not too far from the apartment building was a cafe that Keith didn’t recognize. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Aella had moved about two days ago. Well, technically Keith moved back, bringing Aellana with him. He had to live with his mom on the other side of the country after leaving Lance. But Krolia’s line of work required her to be always moving around, never really having a permanent home. Sure, he loved his mom, but he wanted to bring up Aella somewhere she could make memories in. He, himself, had been moved around from foster home to foster home after his father died. He was all too familiar with the feeling of being homesick for a home you’ve never had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Krolia was supportive all the way and promised to visit as often as she could. She helped Keith find a nice apartment, dropped the two of them off, and even stayed a day to help them unpack. Aella wasn’t so happy to have to part with her beloved grandma (Krolia would glare at Keith when he’d call her that, still Keith enjoyed doing it) but she was eager to live in this new place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith was relishing in the drastic but positive mood shift once Aella realized that they were going to a cafe. She giggled with glee and clung onto him tighter, making it easier for Keith to open the coffeeshop door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He has had Aellana for almost a year now and he could say that he was the happiest he’s ever been. Many people have told him that becoming a single dad was going to be hard, that he needed to take more time to think, but Keith had never been more ready in his life. And the moment he met Aella for the first time, he swore that it was truly meant to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith walked up to the counter to order, finally tearing his eyes from his daughter to look at their menu, only to feel a rush of ice cold water through his veins. He came face to face with what he thought was a ghost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, it was no ghost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the way Lance was staring at him, Keith knew that this was real. Lance was real. Too many thoughts flickered through his head that when Lance spoke, he voice barely came out. It didn’t help that Lance didn’t say anything else, just that usual drone of lines baristas were made to say to customers. Keith couldn’t think, only feel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emotion after emotion. It was all too overwhelming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He simply looked to Aella to speak for him. She was like his lucky charm, a protective spell. Her presence, her voice, everything about her was comforting to him. He felt less alone when she was with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, there are some things that he couldn’t run away from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything for you, sweetheart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s eyes darted over to Lance, staring at him in disbelief, in shock. All of the emotions in him threatened to spill out of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not a day went by that he didn’t think of Lance. All he could think of was how good everything was with him. Keith wasn’t bitter or angry, at least not towards Lance. He regretted how he had yelled, how he had simply walked away instead of giving Lance a little more time. His boyfriend, well… Now ex-boyfriend, was not ready to settle down. He did not think he was ready for a family, and that was perfectly alright. It was just that in that moment, Keith was angry. There were too many emotions, just like now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still Keith couldn’t regret forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he hadn’t walked away, he might’ve never met Aella. She was the most precious thing in his life and Keith wouldn’t have had it any other way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His train of thought was snapped when Lance asked him what he wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What Keith wanted?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to be held. He wanted those otherworldly kisses from Lance. He wanted to wake up every morning next to the man he was and always had been in love with. He wanted to introduce Lance to Aella and Aella to Lance. He wanted to tell Lance how much he missed him, how much he still loves him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted Lance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Iced caramel macchiato. Both drinks and the cake to go, please.” He said instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t put Lance through it. He knew Lance didn’t want to commit, he knew that this life was not what Lance wanted and that was perfectly fine. Keith didn’t want to be selfish. He knew he couldn’t have it all, so he brushed all those wants aside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, dada.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked down at his little goblin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we stay here a lil longer, please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, there definitely were things Keith couldn’t run away from. One of which being his daughter’s pleading eyes, cheeks puffed with a pout. Keith loved Aellana too much and couldn’t resist that puppy dog look. He doubted he would ever get used to it either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked back at Lance and was slightly startled by the soft laugh that he missed for so long. It had been years since he had last heard Lance’s voice, all the more his laugh, that he had nearly forgotten what it sounded like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it you’ll have these for here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“May I ask for your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith was used to just giving his name and leaving, but he had other things planned. He probably wouldn’t have another chance like this. So, Keith did what he had always done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a small leap of faith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s asking for your name, baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This girl, Aellana. She could’ve been </span>
  <em>
    <span>their </span>
  </em>
  <span>kid. Theirs. Both his and Lance’s. But that wasn’t the case. Still, nothing was stopping from him letting Lance know her at little. Even if it was just her name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith could make out a soft, light smile on Lance’s face. It had started to grow a little brighter only to dull after a split second, morphing into something sadder. It made Keith’s chest clench tighter. He hated seeing Lance so down, so sad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance had always been so lively and wonderful. His smile was contagious. Keith would always find himself getting lost in the way his lips moved with every word that rolled off his tongue. There was always this glow about him no matter the weather. So, to see Lance so down, Keith could hear his own heart shattering to pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aellana. A. E. L. L. A. N. A.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aellana. Gotcha. Okay, Aellana. I’ll call your name when your order is ready, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, my dada will be the one to get it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith frowned a little, suddenly worried by Aella’s out of character shyness. She was always so eager to get the order from the counter. She always insisted on it. This was the first time she’s ever wanted Keith to get the drinks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, Lance’s response stole the air out of his lungs before he could speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll remember your dada’s face so that when he comes, I’ll know it’s for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith wanted to melt then and there. Lance had nephews and nieces, so dealing with kids was nothing new to him, but it still managed to sweep Keith off his feet to see him talking to his daughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aellana beamed at Lance, and that eased Keith in an instant. With nothing else to be said, he whisked Aella off to a nearby table before another customer took it. He needed to have a little chat with his daughter. Her behavior was a little strange. At first he chalked it up to being excited from moving to a new town, to an apartment, but something told him that there was more to it than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After reaching the table and setting his daughter down on a chair, he was quick to notice the smug look on Aellana’s face, one that he knew was reserved for moments of mischief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh oh. What did you do now, guppy?” he sighed, raising an eyebrow that the seven year old.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aella shook her head, but the smile still lingered on her face. Keith only grew more suspicious, more worried. He tried to figure out just what was going on through her head, but she has always been so hard to read. Not that he minded. He was just well aware of how much of a troublemaker she was. And as someone who was once a troublemaker too, he wanted to make sure she didn't get into the same messes as him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aellana.” His voice was a warning in itself, letting her know that she shouldn’t test his patience any further.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked startled for a moment, knowing Keith never used that voice with her unless he was really, really serious. Her eyes were drawn to the edge of the table as she began fiddling with her fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I saw your pictures of him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of… who? Lance? The barista?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was slowly piecing together, Aellana’s behaviour the whole day of wanting to buy cheesecake. But it didn’t explain how she knew that Lance worked in this cafe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that why you wanted to buy cheesecake here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded, eyes still trained on the table. “I saw him when we passed by a while ago. I remembered that you wrote ‘with the love of my life’ on the pictures. I just thought… I thought it would make you happy because you always look so sad when you look at them. I thought you just missed him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aella,” He sighed. “ I’m touched that you thought of me… and yes, I missed him. But you don’t have to worry about me, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart felt so full with love for this girl. There was nothing that mattered to Keith more than Aella. He wanted to lecture her, to ask her a million questions, but what did he even have to say? Sure, he was shocked from seeing Lance again after so long, but it was not like Aella knew anything about what happened to him and Lance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to surprise you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you did, baby.” He gave her hand another squeeze, more reassuring and firm. She looked so sad and guilty, it broke his heart seeing that expression on her face. “Look at me, sweetheart. I am happy. Okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile was hesitant, but it was an improvement from a few moments ago. Keith wanted Aella to always be happy too. He wanted a good life, a happy life for her. And Keith was going to do everything in his power to make sure of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was then Keith came to terms with one thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aellana was truly meant to be his daughter. He’s only had her for almost a year now, and she’s everything he ever wanted and more. Not only that she wanted him and Lance to see each other again. She didn’t know the story nor did Keith ever talk about Lance, but she went out of her way to remember. She did what little she could to help, or to simply try.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, guppy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, dada.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith knew he had to talk to Lance again. Even if he couldn’t fix things, he wanted to try. He was willing to try. Three years have passed and he was still hopelessly, madly in love with Lance. Once upon a time, this man was all that mattered to him. Now, Keith had Aellana, and he wanted Lance back too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, it was a little selfish, but sometimes, a leap of faith was all he needed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a leap of faith when he adopted Aella, he took a leap of faith when he moved back. Each one led him right back to Lance, to the love of his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hot chocolate and iced caramel macchiato for Aellana.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, it was time for another leap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith walked up to the counter, mentally preparing himself to speak to Lance. He decided once and for all that he was going to hold a conversation with him, no matter how awkward or how short. He needed to say something, anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After three long years, he’d be able to talk to Lance again, to get lost in that sweet smile, those warm eyes. Hell, if Lance still felt the same, maybe they could try again. But that was still a far shot. He had to keep his expectations realistic. He should start with catching up with Lance and build his way from there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Lance.” He mentally patted himself on the back for that one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s adorable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In that moment, Keith became the walking definition of a proud dad. He was always so weak for moments people would compliment or ask about his daughter. Aella was the light of his life and he’d never get tired of talking about her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She is, isn’t she?” Keith chuckled, looking over to where Aella sat patiently, waiting for him. “But don’t let that fool you. She’s well aware of it and uses it to her advantage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll keep that in mind.” Lance noted, a soft but sad smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith looked back at him, fighting every cell in his body from reaching out to him and kissing all that sadness away like he used to. Oh, how he wanted nothing more than to make it all better, but he knew he couldn’t. Not yet anyway. If fate was kind to him, maybe he could earn the right to do it all over again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lance… I…” Keith wrangled with the nervousness that choked him up. “I miss you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a weight off of his shoulders, being able to finally say it to his face. If there was one thing that having Aella taught him, it was that beating around the bush got him nowhere. Sometimes, no… Most times, it was better to just get straight to the point, to just rip the bandaid off. Aella would only bombard him with more and more questions if he kept on avoiding the topic. It was a lesson he needed to learn, and he was more than glad to have his little girl teach it to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... you do?” Lance’s voice was softer than a whisper. Broken, but hopeful. So was Keith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith nodded. “Yeah. I wanna, y’know… talk. It doesn’t have to be now. Obviously, since you’re still on your shift, but--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get out at six. Let me treat you… both of you to dinner. Please.” Lance glanced at Aella, eyes twinkling with eagerness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like that.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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